Hate Me
by xrxdanixrx
Summary: Awkward Bella only had a crush on one guy, known for stringing girls along. When he rejected Bella's advances, her world flipped inside out. Years later, she's now the female version of the catalyst that changed her life. And it's her turn for payback. AH
1. Genesis

**A/N: Hey guys! I told you in my profile I'd be coming out with a new fic soon, and here it is! **

**This story is a complete 180 from my other. It's just a fun little idea I had and wanted to run with before I forgot about it.**

**If you don't like risqué Bella or Edward, this probably isn't for you. Though, I do hope you read.**

**Before I begin, a few thank you's: ****AngelStardust (Twilighted) for critiquing my chapters and making me think. ****Hannah81 for beta-ing this chapter and agreeing to be my validation beta over at Twilighted. Also, a huge thanks to the members of the PTB for their amazing insight.  
**

**

* * *

  
**

**~*GENESIS*~**

_*****_**BELLA***

I cracked open my eyes to find myself shrouded in complete darkness, unaware of my surroundings.

_Where am I?_

I could definitely feel that I was in a bed, that was for sure. I took my arms out from underneath and placed them on top of the cool blanket. A thick, fluffy comforter was laid over on top of me.

I was just about to sit up when a deep male voice groaned and a large arm wrapped around my waist, preventing me from moving.

_Holy shit!_

The arm was heavy and barely allowed me to breath. When I tried to wiggle free, a large leg was thrown across my thighs. I was officially stuck.

I tried to rack my brain of how I got into the bed in the first place. It didn't take too long for me to remember. I had gone out to a club in Seattle and met a nice guy standing by the bar. This one had definitely been the easiest ever.

What was his name?

Mark?

Mitch?

_Mike._

He had just gotten out of a four year relationship with a woman who had been cheating on him. His friends had convinced him to go out but he didn't want to.

I could spot them a mile away: shy,vulnerable, lonely--serious relationship types.

When I had met Mike, he seemed taken aback that someone like me would talk to someone like him. After all, I wasn't exactly the ugly duckling ... anymore.

I had done my usual drill: convinced him I was a nice enough girl, listened to his problems, talked about common interests, got into his heart, and then eventually, his bed. Then it was - "Adios!"

It was a certified plan.

It usually took me several weeks to actually win them over so completely that they trusted me, considering that most of them were either painfully shy or heartbroken.

This one though, Mike, the instant we met, he was ready to call me his girlfriend. By the end of the night, he was pretty much declaring his love for me, all the while practically crying over his former girlfriend, Jessica. I almost felt bad for taking advantage of his vulnerability.

Almost.

He had been a little hesitant about taking me home, but because I had promised to meet his parents, he agreed.

He was too easy! To be honest, it almost wasn't worth it.

He had been an okay lay. Well, that was an overstatement. His bedroom skills were way below par. I had been on top the entire time while he had just laid there and watched. And he came in literally three minutes, which he apologized for. At least he had had the decency to go down on me.

I shifted my legs a little, trying to twist my way out of his tight grasp. His face was so close to my head that I could smell the cheap cologne he probably got at Target or something.

I managed to slowly inch my upper body towards the far side of the bed. His heavy arm was starting to drag itself off my waist with my movement, but his legs still had a death grip on my lower body.

When his arm was completely off of me, I twisted my body and placed my hands on the ground next to the bed.

_Oh, the things I do just for a lay. _

I gently slid my legs out from under his leg in a very awkward move. My sides started to hurt from being so twisted.

Finally off the bed, my knees landed on the ground. I crawled a little trying to find my clothes. When I felt the leg of a chair with a silky dress laid out on it, I stood up.

The bed sheets started to rustle, and I froze. "Mmm, Bella ..." I heard Mike moan.

_Crap._

When I felt it was safe to move again, I slid on the dress I had worn to the club, picked up my heels, as well as my purse, and then tip toed toward the door. I had to feel my way across the walls to find it.

When I reached it, I turned the knob and the door cracked open, emitting an eerie squeak.

The bed sheets started to rustle again.

Just as quickly as it started, it stopped. I allowed myself to open it more, thanking God that there was no more squeaking from the bedroom door.

I slipped out, and let out a big breath that I had been unknowingly holding. I mentally celebrated as I, ever so gently, closed the door behind me.

_Freedom!  
_

I suddenly realized that I wasn't wearing any underwear. My eyes went wide, remembering that I had thrown them somewhere on the ground.

_Eh, he can keep them. They'll be like a memento. _

I snickered to myself as I walked out the front door of his apartment. I had almost become an expert at escaping in the middle of the night. That was when they were most unaware. My body's clock almost worked around it.

This had been my life for the past several years: a different guy every month - minus my most recent conquest, Mike.

Apart from my romantic life-light on the romance-I had two fantastic best friends; Alice and Rosalie. They were pretty much the rock in my life. They were not only my best friends, but they were also my business partners. The three of us, fairly recently, went into business. We pooled our money and opened up a trendy nightclub called, "Touch&Go". Of course, we had a lot of financial help from Rosalie's rich father who she practically had wrapped around her finger.

My phone started to vibrate in my purse. I opened my bag and moved random items around till I came into contact with a metal device. When I found my phone, I opened it and brought it up to my ear.

"Hello?" I said, forgetting to check the caller I.D.

"Where are you?" a strong feminine voice whispered on the other end of the phone.

I instantly recognized Rosalie's unmistakable voice.

"Why are we whispering?" I whispered back, walking down the street away from Mike's apartment building.

"I figured you were doing a hit-and-run with that guy you left with," she replied in a normal volume.

"Yeah, just barely escaped," I said, no longer whispering either.

"Scale?" she asked.

"Five," I answered, without hesitation.

"Ouch..." She chuckled. "Did you _have_ to pick him up while on the job?"

I hesitated for a moment, wondering what the right answer would be. "No...?"

"Bella! We were supposed to be scoping out the competition across the street from our club."

Just as our new night club had gone up, another new club opened right across the street from ours without any warning. Their club, Satyr, had opened merely 3 weeks after ours. They were starting to steal our customers too! We had spent so much time researching which part of Seattle would be the best location for our club, as there are many clubs already in the city. We didn't want competition, even though clubs do well being in areas where other clubs are gathered. It was decided that we wanted to have fun and work our way into being popular through good old fashioned promotion and word of mouth. Then, naturally, Satyr had to show up and split our growing customers in half.

Satyr had already been open for two weeks and Rosalie had been desperately wanting to go over there to see what the big fuss was, but we never got time between dealing with our own venue. Our own club had been having a slow night when Rosalie and I opted for checking it out. As soon as we got there, we were stunned. The owners of the place had spent an aberrant amount of money on the layout and look of the club, giving it a Euro-style blue ambiance with flashy lights and large television screens hanging from the ceiling.

When we got there, Rosalie and I split up, checking out what was going on. Some time in the evening I got distracted. Namely by Mike...

"My bad," I said, with a bit of remorse in my tone.

I walked onto the nearest main road, looking for a cab.

"Well, _I_ was doing my job. I found out the deal on the owners," she said.

"Oh?" Curiosity was getting the better of me.

"They're two young guys, trust fund babies, who were probably bored and decided to throw some money into creating something to entertain them," she explained, annoyance lining her tone. "I heard that they mainly promote their club to women, probably so they can screw them. They sounded like sleazeballs to me. I mean, what kind of a name is 'Satyr' anyway?"

"Satyrs are male deities from Greek Mythology. They're usually depicted in art as strong and burly. Of course, if they really meant the shortened version of satyriasis, then yes, they are definitely sleazeballs." I chucked, wondering if that really was the meaning of their club's name.

She didn't speak for a couple seconds. "I don't know what you just said, but they still sound like douches..."

I rolled my eyes. I spotted a taxi parked outside a hotel at a taxi rank and walked toward it. I stepped into the available cab and told the taxi man where to go.

"You're coming back here?" she asked.

"That's the plan," I added, with a bit of a punch to my tone.

"You're not going to try to find two guys in one night, are you?"

I laughed. "Rose, I'm not a machine."

"I don't know... sometimes I think you are," she said warily.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing..." she trailed off, changing the subject. "Anyway, Alice is here now too. We're having drinks over by the bar. We'll look out for you."

Was she implying that I had no emotions when it came to the guys I had been with? Sure, I had never really fallen in love with any of them, and sure, I probably left them heartbroken, but that didn't mean I didn't feel something when I did it.

In fact, I probably felt _too_ much. I could never seem to escape the pain and embarrassment of my past.

Back in high school, I had been this shy, naive, sexually unaware girl. All the girls around me were light years ahead while I was still sitting around listening to sappy boy bands and picturing love, marriage, and kids.

In particular, love, marriage, and kids with one person.

Edward Cullen.

He was, as my former self would say, "the epitome of man". He was lean and athletic with green eyes and messy bronze hair that made you want to run a hand through it. Edward and I had had a lot of the same classes together throughout the four years of our high school life, yet he never seemed to know I existed. Yet, of course, he knew every other girl in the female school population existed. He knew them more personally then I would've preferred.

Every month he'd have some new girl on his arm. His "flavor of the month", as we'd all say. Sometimes, they wouldn't even be in our own grade. Even though I desperately liked him, I knew I didn't want to be his flavor of the month.

I wanted to be his only flavor.

Out of shyness, I never got the nerve to talk to him apart from times when we had to speak for classes. At the end of our senior year though, I had gotten so fed up with him never noticing me that I drunkenly offered myself to him at a party. And what did he do?

He rejected me.

Edward Cullen never rejected anyone. Yet, there I was, giving myself to him, and he said no.

I'll admit, I was drunk and it was in a bathroom, but it had still ruined everything I believed in.

After that, I made a vow not to let any man take over me emotionally again.

I would be the one in control.

"Alright, see ya," I said to Rosalie, then hung up.

When I arrived at our club, I went inside to find Alice and Rosalie sitting in the VIP section. The section was divided into little sitting areas along the wall with sheer curtains surrounding it. They had the curtain drawn, but I could still see that it was them.

I opened the curtain and closed it behind me.

Both looked amazing, as usual. Alice was wearing a strapless beige dress while Rose was also wearing a strapless dress that had zebra print all over.

Alice looked up at me with her legs crossed and a Piña Colada in one hand. "There you are..." She seemed to be taking in my appearance. "Well, you look like you had an interesting time." She smiled coyly.

"Eh..." That was all I had to say in reply before as I sat down in our little corner on the russet brown couch next to Alice.

Alice reached up with her free hand and smoothed down my hair that was still probably a mess. "Want some of my drink?" she offered.

I looked over at Rosalie who was watching us both while drinking whiskey straight up on the rocks. "Actually, I think I'd prefer some of Rose's."

Rosalie chuckled and then handed her drink over to me, which I took a sip of and handed back. "That bad, huh?" Rose asked.

I sighed and leaned against the back of the seat, crossing my legs. "Business doing okay?"

"As good as we can on a Thursday night," Alice said, leaning back.

We sat in comfortable silence until Rosalie started to fidget around a lot. "Holy... shit," she said in amazement.

We both looked at her curiously.

With her left hand she pointed out toward the bar. The curtain was in the way, but we could still make out what was happening. We looked to see two tall men talking with one of our bartenders. One man was quite large in a muscular way with curly dark hair, from what I could make out. The other man had his back turned but looked lean, yet fit.

_Nice ass...  
_

I guessed she was pointing at one of the guys, but I wasn't sure which one.

"The big guy, right there," she said, still pointing at them. "I'm gonna go talk to him."

Both Alice and I fell into silent astonishment as our mouths fell open.

Rosalie _never_ went up to a guy. They always went to her. Plus, she felt it was desperate if a girl went up to a guy in a bar. So, for her to actually make the first move was really out of her element.

"Are you joking?" I asked, still stunned.

She stood up. "Why? Should I not do it?" she asked, looking worried.

Alice chimed in, "I think we're just surprised is all..."

"Let us know how it goes," I said to Rose.

She nodded and smiled. Then she walked over to the curtain, drawing it back a little, giving us a clear view of the bar. As she did, I saw the man, previously with his back to us, finally turn around.

_Oh...my God._

"Stop!" I yelled.

Rosalie instantly froze. "What? What is it?" she blurted out.

Standing at the bar, elbow up on the ledge and talking to some random, tall amazon woman, was the very man I had let rule my teenage-hood, the very man who haunted yet shaped my life even after high school.

My heart started to beat faster, threatening to crash out of my chest. I felt small beads of sweat dampen the back of my neck.

_Oh no, Bella. Don't do this. Please, don't do this.  
_

The sheer vision of him caused me to revert back to my old awkward, scared self. I didn't feel in control of my emotions anymore.

"Bella... you okay? You look like you're about to throw up."

At the sound of my name, I snapped back into myself again, all hints of my old self scattering away into the coffin I'd sealed long ago. "Yep, I'm good."

I got up and walked over to where Rosalie was standing and continued, "Don't be too obvious, but see the guy standing next to the guy you were about to go talk to?"

Alice got up and walked over to us to look with Rosalie.

"Yeah, who's that?" Rosalie inquired.

"Remember I told you guys about that guy in high school who I had a massive crush on?" I said, shutting the curtain again.

"The only dickhead to ever turn you down?" Alice asked in disbelief.

"That'd be the one..." I clarified.

"What the hell is he doing here? And why is he all chummy with my cute guy?" she asked angrily. "Want me to get Felix to kick him out?"

Felix, our club's bouncer, had already successfully kicked out several crazy people in the few weeks we'd been open. We were, ultimately, very thankful we hired him.

Part of me wanted my past obsession gone from my sight, but the other part of me, the naughty side, wanted to have a little fun.

I couldn't deny that I had daydreamed over the years about what it would be like to get him back. To humiliate him the way he did me. To satisfy my bottomless need for acceptance.

And here he was, giving me this chance on a shiny silver platter with my name carved all over, without even knowing it.

An idea suddenly popped into my head. "I have a better idea."

* * *

**A/N: Let me know what you think so far! Please review. :)**

**Note: There are some links of pics in my profile to go with this chapter and story. This includes parts of the girl's club.  
**


	2. Temptation

**A/N:**

**Hey guys! So very sorry this took so long to get updated. I wanted to wait till this was published on Twilighted as well for me to update with the second chapter.**

**Thanks to lexiecullen17 for beta-ing the shit out of this chapter. Damn, woman. My other beta, CatMasters, for being so honest (You must read her story "Darkest Before Dawn")! And my pre-reader, AngelStardust, over at T'd who I love to death for being my #1 supporter!**

* * *

**_Previously...  
_  
Got a look into Bella's mindset. Now it's Edward's turn. **

* * *

**~*TEMPTATION*~**_**  
***_**EDWARD***

I looked down at the contacts in my phone, combing through the many feminine looking names. They all started to blur together into one as I sped up my search.

"New blood or old blood?" I asked, still flicking through the names.

"New."

I looked over at the voice answering my question. My older brother, Emmett, always knew what I wanted.

"Yeah, you're probably right," I said with resign in my voice, shutting my phone.

I took my feet off the desk and placed them on the ground, spinning around in my rolly chair.

To any other person, tonight would seem like just an ordinary Thursday night, but to me, it was the best night of the week.

Every Thursday, I'd go to a club or bar, find some innocent woman, and spend the rest of the week trying to bag her. Thursdays always worked because those were the days when the unsuspecting women would come out; the ones that were just stopping in for a quick drink with some coworkers after work; the ones that were dragged out last minute by friends to celebrate some occasion; the ones that were trying to avoid the weekend sleaze balls, or the best ones of them all, the ones that just got out of heartbreaking relationships.

Those women were a challenge.

I mean, what was the fun in a one night stand anyway?

You're in—you're out.

Literally. It was much more fulfilling to wait a little.

Back in high school, it would take me a month to get women to sleep with me. High school girls always had their heads in the clouds; they wanted love, relationships, Disney scenarios, that sort of shit. Now, being twenty-five years old, the amount of time needed changed from one month to one week as a result of a stronger sexual appetite, perfecting my game, and, quite honestly, boredom. Lessening the amount of time allowed me to move on to new women quicker.

I always had it planned out. I'd be everything they wanted: the perfect gentleman. I'd take them out, wine and dine them throughout the week, all leading up to, of course, sex. All within a matter of days.

Don't get me wrong, there were times when I needed a quick fix, too. I always knew the girls to call for those moments:

Tanya, Kate or Irina.

And they were always just as willing to have it be one night, no strings attached.

There had been times when I'd be trying to win over a girl for the week, but then would get really horny at some point and call up one of the girls.

Was it cheating?

No. Because I _never_ got into a relationship with anyone.

In my opinion, relationships were for people who were afraid they'd never have sex again, so they'd stick to one person. I was definitely not lacking in the sex department.

I stretched my hands over my head, cracking the bones in my neck, back, shoulders and arms.

Tonight, I wanted to start fresh.

"Are we going tonight?" Emmett asked.

He was sitting on the couch holding a remote control while surfing through all the channels, changing them so quickly that it was starting to make me dizzy.

"Yeah, hopefully the owners don't know who we are," I answered.

Emmett and I, having nothing really to do with the money we'd collected over the years, decided on a whim to open a nightclub. We had found the perfect place, bought it, and hired staff, when what should happen? Another new club, called "Touch&Go," went up _directly_ across the street from ours. We had barely even begun renovating, when their club magically opened.

We, being quite the competitors, had wanted to go over for weeks to spy on them, and quite possibly, see what kind of clientele they were attracting, so we could take theirs. Yet, every time we tried to go, we got bogged down with work on our own club. Then, we had our opening, which also distracted from our plan. Since then, we'd hired a manager to run the day-to-day business, so we were more free to come and go now.

One of our staff members had told us that the owners of the club were a bunch of chicks. We had laughed when we heard that, because we knew it would be too easy to get them to either close down their club or lose their customers.

Hey, we never said we'd play fair… especially since we were there first.

Emmett finally found a channel and threw the remote control down next to him. "All we should do is just talk to the staff a little. I'm sure if the owners are chicks, they would've hired a bunch of chick bartenders. It should be a piece of cake getting information out of them."

I chuckled. Emmett was probably hoping they were chick bartenders so he could get their numbers. He was definitely a man-whore. He had absolutely no problem doing the whole one night stand deal. The apartment we shared had a constant stream of female visitors, and my walls were always getting a nice work out.

I, personally, never brought women back to my place. It was much easier to slip out of _their _apartments in the middle of the night after having sex. Plus, there was something about bringing women back to my place that was unappealing to me.

I always felt that my room was my own personal sanctuary. It was the only place I could truly be myself. I'd never let any woman into that world of mine and probably never would.

I stood up, staring down at Emmett. "You coming?" I asked rhetorically.

He turned off the television and I walked over to the door to retrieve my keys and wallet. We went out the door, down to the parking garage, and hopped into my Aston Martin Vanquish.

It was times like these that I was happy my parents were wealthy. They hadn't physically bought me the car, but they had, over the years, stocked up so much money in my account that, when I really wanted something, I had enough to buy the car of my dreams when I got older. I had rarely touched my bank account; it wasn't necessary most of the time.

A lot of people, I was sure, thought Emmett and I were spoiled rich boys, but truth be told, we never asked for anything from our parents. We always knew how fortunate we were to be born into comfort while most weren't as blessed. Emmett and I had normal upbringings, nothing fancy. Well, except for the fact that we grew up in a mansion, of course. But even the apartment Emmett and I had chosen to share was a fairly modest two bedroom apartment with a nice view of the city. The nightclub was bought mainly with loans and a bit of our savings.

Fifteen minutes later, we were pulling up to the new, hip club that we wanted gone. I threw my keys at the valet and followed Emmett inside.

The vibe was very sleek and classy, as opposed to ours, which had more of a European dance club feel to it with bright lights and loud music.

The size of the crowd was fairly decent considering it was only a Thursday.

"Not bad…" I said, looking around.

In all honesty, this seemed like the type of place I'd like to go. If it wasn't for the fact that they were our competition, I would have guessed that I would be a regular here.

"God damn… the whole staff are men. Look at that!" Emmett said, shocked, and gestured to the bar.

Not one employee was a woman.

"Isn't there some law when hiring that states you can't discriminate against sexes?" Emmett asked.

I looked around at the club-goers, mostly women, who were flirting with the bartenders. "Well, you don't know for sure that they purposefully hired only men. Besides, don't we only have women working for us?"

"That's not true, we had that kid…uh…Alec. Right?" Emmett asked.

"We fired him, remember?"

Emmett scratched the back of his head. "Oh… right."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the bar. Emmett followed right behind me. Even though we didn't want to give the club any profit, we still decided to buy drinks just to blend in.

Emmett started to talk up the bartender. "So, this club has gotten pretty busy, huh?"

"Yeah, the weekends are the busiest though," the bartender said, handing us our drinks.

"I bet the owners must be pretty thrilled," I added nonchalantly.

"Oh, yeah. They come here all the time, too. In fact, they're right over there." He gestured to a section across the other side of the club that was divided into little sitting areas with sheer curtains surrounding it. I couldn't make out what any of them looked like because the curtains obscured their appearances, but they were definitely sitting on a couch.

The bartender turned away and started doing some other task, while Emmett and I stood close to each other, in a huddle.

"Should we bail? What if they see us?" Emmett asked, concerned.

"They're not gonna see us, and if they do, how will they know we're the guys from across the street? They have no clue what we look like," I explained.

He seemed to calm at that and moved a little further away from me.

"Damn, there are some fine women here," he acknowledged.

I hadn't really taken a look around yet, as my eyes were still on the prize, observing the club's surroundings. But when I heard his words, my mind suddenly remembered why else I had come here tonight.

A new Thursday—a new woman.

I leaned back against the bar, searching the sea of people for my next girl.

"Whoa… tits, ass, and legs staring at you at ten o'clock," Emmett suddenly said.

I turned my head to the left to see a very sexy, tall woman with red lipstick walking over to me as if she were on a catwalk.

She stopped right in front of me and said in a breathy voice, "I'm Heidi."

_Too easy._

Though she was very attractive—_very_—I didn't feel like having a one night stand, and I knew instantly that that was what this woman was most likely after.

Although I knew I probably wouldn't leave with her, I decided to go along with her for the time being.

_I can dump her before I leave._

"Edward." I introduced myself, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips to lightly place a kiss. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She leaned her head closer to mine. "Only if I can take you home," she whispered seductively into my ear.

A shiver went up my spine. She placed her hand on my hip and slowly moved it up and down, stopping at the side of my thigh. I felt my cock spring to life, straining against the inside of my jeans.

_Fuck the plan. _

"Deal," I said, betraying what I originally set out to do.

She moved to sit on a bar stool next to me and crossed her sexy long legs. "I'll have a shot of whiskey."

I signaled for the bartender's attention and then ordered her drink.

"So, are you from the area?" I asked, turning towards her while the bartender handed her a shot.

She quickly downed the shot and slapped it back on the bar.

_Damn._

"Edward," she purred. "Do you want to ask me mundane questions, or do you want to fuck?" Suddenly, there was a hand groping my, now painful, erection.

I gulped. Probably more loudly than I should've.

_Yes, please…._

"You work fast," I teased, trying not to show how much I wanted her.

_Even though my dick isn't doing too good a job of hiding it_.

She trailed her other hand up my hips, past my stomach, and to my chest, lightly brushing her fingertips against it. "Only when I want someone, and right now… I want you."

The hand that was still on my bulge squeezed me hard.

_Works for me!_

I looked down the bar and noticed Emmett had left.

"Wait here," I said to Heidi and winked at her.

I walked away from the bar and looked around for Emmett.

_Where the hell did he go? _

Through the sea of people dancing, I could scarcely make out a tall man with black curly hair. When a few people moved, allowing me a better view, I saw Emmett talking to a leggy blonde. Her back was facing me, and I could see him talking very animatedly to her, which was usually very uncharacteristic.

I made my way across the club, walking in his direction, to tell him I was leaving for the night with a woman.

The crowds of people started to get in my way and I lost sight of him. He was no longer standing where he had been before.

_Fuck! _

I turned my head back toward the bar. Heidi was still sitting there on the bar stool, looking around the room, most likely for me. I looked further down the bar, now getting annoyed that I couldn't find Emmett.

When my eyes reached the end of the bar, I froze.

There, sitting at the end of the bar, was a stunning brunette with pale skin, deep brown eyes, and luscious lips. She was wearing barely any make-up, but she didn't need it. She was naturally beautiful. My heart rate started to increase at the sight of her. She was alone, and she looked… sad.

I looked around for anyone that she might be there with, but no one was approaching her or even regarding her. I was clueless as to how someone so beautiful could be sitting alone.

Before I knew what I was doing, my feet carried me over to her and I stopped directly to the side of her. If she was beautiful from a distance, she was strikingly gorgeous up close.

_Say something, you idiot! Anything! _

My throat was dry and I couldn't seem to form any words, as much as I tried.

She had a drink and was staring down into it with her elbow on the bar, her cheek cupped in her hand.

The best I could seem to do was clear my throat.

She didn't move.

Figuring she hadn't heard me, I cleared my throat again, but more loudly. She slowly turned her head towards me. Our eyes lined up in what felt like an overwhelming climax.

I wasn't sure what my expression looked like, but I was sure it didn't look remotely like the calm, cool exterior I had always portrayed.

I stared into the giant brown pools of her eyes, sinking deeper and deeper. I couldn't tear my eyes away and I didn't want to. I could've stayed rooted in that very spot forever, and it still would've satiated me.

And then, just like that, the connection was lost. Her eyes went back down to her drink, disregarding my very presence.

I desperately needed that connection back.

"Hi," I squeaked out. I cursed myself mentally for sounding like a retard.

She turned her eyes back to mine and I inwardly sighed in relief from being able to stare into her eyes again.

"Hey…," she said, looking at me curiously.

As I continued to look at her, a sudden sense of familiarity washed over me, like I had previously seen her somewhere. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it was a very strong feeling.

"Have we met?" I asked her.

She moved her eyes down the expanse of my body quickly and then back up to my face. "Do you use this line on women often?" she asked.

_Huh?_

"No, I—"

"Because I'm really not in the mood," she said, looking depressed, and then went back to her drink.

I pulled up a stool next to her and sat down. She whipped her head in my direction and glared at me.

"I'm sorry, it's just that—you really do look familiar to me. I'm not sure where, but I feel like I've met you before," I admitted.

She looked back at her drink and spoke after a few moments. "You haven't. Trust me."

Figuring I had gone temporarily insane, I continued talking to her. "What brings you to this club?"

She still kept her eyes averted. "No reason."

She clearly wasn't in the mood to talk, but for some reason, I couldn't seem to leave her. She looked so sad, like something devastating had happened to her.

"Are you okay?" I asked her, wishing she'd just turn her head to look at me again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She took a sip of her drink.

"I don't know. I saw you from across the room, and you looked sort of depressed."

"Hmm. Go figure," she said sarcastically, and then took another sip of her drink.

This was the sort of stuff I'd always say to the girls I picked up. I earned their trust by talking to them about whatever problems they were having. But for some reason, in this moment, my questions were genuine.

"Ah…," I trailed off and looked down at the bar.

"I found out my boyfriend, well, now ex-boyfriend, had been sleeping with someone else."

My eyes snapped up, and her eyes were now staring into mine. She looked so pained. I wanted to reach out and caress her face to make her pain go away.

"I'm sorry," I breathed.

Her eyes started to look distant, and she turned away. "I found some text messages he had been sending to some girl named—" Her eyes seemed to dart back and forth for a second. "—named Ali."

I didn't know how to respond to this, for once. Countless times, I'd listen to women tell me about their boyfriends cheating on them, and I'd always known the right thing to say. This time, though, I hadn't a clue. So, I just sat there, staring at her.

"I'm sure you think I'm pathetic. Coming to some club and drowning my sorrows with alcohol on a Thursday night."

_How could she even surmise something like that?_

"Absolutely not," I assured. "Alcohol is the best medicine in times like these." I offered her a grin.

The corners of her mouth turned up into a small smile and that was enough for all the air to leave my body.

The effect this stranger seemed to have on me was baffling. I should've run. I should've gotten out of my chair and never returned to this damn club. But nothing at that moment could have made me leave this precious woman.

"Can I buy you a drink?" she asked, looking directly at me.

_**She's**__ offering to buy __**me**__ a drink? _

I was taken aback. No girl had ever offered to buy me a drink before. It had always been me making those offers.

I smirked. "Shouldn't that be the other way around?"

"Well, I already have a drink, and you said that alcohol is the best medicine. And, quite frankly, you've looked sick since you started talking to me."

_Oh, shit…_

I was aware that I had probably looked like an idiot this entire time, but I was hoping she hadn't noticed.

Before I could stop myself, I said, "Fine, you can buy me a drink."

She smiled and got up. "Then, I'll be back." Even though there was a bartender right near us, she went clear to the other side of the bar and started talking to a bartender there. I briefly found this odd, but I cast it aside.

"There you are! I was starting to get worried," a seductive voice came from behind me.

_Fuck! Heidi!_

In my haste to find Emmett and then meeting… the girl whose name I still didn't know… I had completely forgotten that I had left Heidi at the bar.

Two hands wrapped around my waist. "Are we leaving, or what?" she whispered into my ear.

I wasn't sure what to do. This night had taken me by surprise so many times. I had come here intending to scope out the club and maybe find a new girl to work on for the week, but then got distracted by Heidi's offer. Then, there was… her.

To be quite frank, I wasn't in the mood anymore to leave with Heidi.

I turned around to face her, removing her hands from my waist. "Actually, Heidi, I'm feeling sort of sick."

She ran her finger up and down my chest. "Well, I could make you feel better." She looked at me suggestively.

I started to feel my pants tighten again, but I knew I had to stay persistent. "I just think I'm going to head home. I have to get up early tomorrow anyway," I lied.

Heidi pouted a little, but then backed away. She reached into her purse and pulled out a rectangular piece of paper. "If you ever change your mind, here's my card." She handed me the card with a sexy smile, and then sauntered off, shaking her hips seductively and disappearing into the crowd.

_I can't fucking believe I just turned her down.  
_  
I mentally started to curse myself, until the very reason I had rejected Heidi came back towards me with a drink in her hand.

She sat back down on the stool she had occupied before and slid the drink over to me. "There you go. Enjoy."

I looked down at the drink. "Jack and Coke? How'd you know that's what I drink?"

She darted her eyes a little, but then smiled. "I just took a wild guess. You seem the type."

I quirked an eyebrow and smirked at her. "Oh, is that right?"

"Yes."

"And what exactly is my type?"

She smiled and looked down at her drink. "I think you know exactly what your type is."

_So, she thinks she has me all figured out so quickly?_

A "hmm" was all I had to offer her in response, as I took a swig of my Jack and Coke.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments.

"So, you're really here alone tonight?" I asked her.

"Well, not anymore…" She turned to me and gave a flirtatious smirk. She swung her body from facing forward toward the bar, to now facing me, her long legs crossing over the other.

When I had first seen her, I had thought she was beautiful. Stunning, even. Now, staring at her short white dress that came up to mid-thigh and showed the expanse of her creamy, smooth legs, I had only one thought to describe her:

Fucking. Sexy. As. Fuck.

_Holy, shit. _

Why I hadn't realized this before, I will never know. Whoever the fuck that weak ass-Edward was when I first met her was suddenly gone and replaced with the normal, cocky Edward I was always used to.

"If you are inferring that you aren't alone because now I'm here, then I suppose we better keep rolling with that then, huh?" I suggested impishly.

"I suppose," she played along, one corner of her mouth upturned.

My eyes analyzed her lips. They were so full and pink.

_I bet they would look fantastic around my cock_.

A nudge in my pants indicated that something else agreed with me.

_Down, boy. Not just yet. _

"I know of this great little cafe down the street where you could continue to not be alone anymore with me," I offered, pulling out my charming smile.

She thought for a moment, and then leaned forward a bit, her magnificent cleavage becoming more accentuated. "When do we leave?"

It took all my will power not to look down too obviously. If I wanted to bag her by the end of the week, I'd have to behave… for now.

"We can go right now if you want," I suggested coolly.

She suddenly stood up and said, "I'll just run to the bathroom real quick, and then we'll head out."

I nodded, and she started to walk away, my eyes zeroing in on her tight ass.

Something suddenly occurred to me. "Wait! I don't know your name."

Maintaining her walk, she looked over her shoulder with a smile and said, "Bella."

And just like that, I had found my new girl for the week.

* * *

**A/N: Repulsed by Schemeward? Think he's kinda hot? Let me know!**

**A teaser for Chapter 3 will be up on Fictionators(dot)com next Monday, so make sure to check it out.**

**If you want even more teasers and info on the progress of "Hate Me" make sure to follow me on twitter: xrxdanixrx **


	3. Lure

**A/N:**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews last chapter and for starting my fic out strong. I'm very happy with the response and hope you guys will continue to stay with me.**

**Special acknowledgments: CatMasters (beta/godsend), thanks for opening up my mind and improving this chapter as well as the story plot. lexiecullen17 (beta), you're amazing. AngelStardust, the first person to see my chapters and I love your opinions. PTB members Diana Wolfskill and kimmcarr, you guys had nothing but great stuff to say and I appreciated it.**

**On another note, I do apologize, but I just want to clarify, again, that if you don't like Edward and Bella being a little forward, then don't read this story. I stated this in my first author's note, so it's not really my fault if you read it and decided you'd rather have them be romantic towards each other, or that they should miraculously change in one chapter. If you want romance, go read my other twi-fic "Here We Go Again". That is all.**

* * *

**_Previously..._**

**Edward meets Bella at her club. He tries to put the moves on her to be his next victim. Now we'll see what follows.**

* * *

** ~*LURE*~  
*BELLA***

As I walked away, I made sure to sway my hips a little more than I normally would. When I knew I was out of sight, I quickly made a beeline to my office and locked the door behind me. I leaned up against the door, my back to the wood. I looked around and then let out an unrestrained laugh that pierced through the room.

_Oh, God. That was fucking classic! _

I calmed down my hysterics and took a couple deep breaths. I couldn't believe he had actually taken the bait. Well... actually, I could. After all, I had thought of the plan knowing what he was like and what he wanted. Not to mention, I was a woman; I had tits and I had killer legs, if I may say so myself. So, a guy would have to be dumb as fuck to turn me down.

A.K.A Edward Cullen.

I giggled a little and then walked toward the desk that I shared with Rosalie and Alice. The mahogany desk was completely covered in picture frames of the three of us at various places and just being together. I opened one of the drawers and pulled out a cell phone. Fiddling around with it, I sat down on the desk, taking a couple minutes to gather my thoughts.

The plan was going exactly how I thought it would. And what a brilliant plan it was! Rosalie and Alice had even given their stamp of approval.

I knew his game pretty well. I knew what he enjoyed: the chase.

I figured that if I, in some regard, became "the chase," he could easily be lured. I would be the lonely, naïve, and oblivious woman he needed at first, the girl who was completely unaware of such womanizing ways. All I had to do was just come up with a viable story to tell him to make his cock's light bulb turn on. I had sort of slipped up when I had to present some kind of name for the imaginary broad who stole my supposed boyfriend. The first name to pop into my head was Alice's, and I was smart enough to at least shorten it to Ali. I had mentally kicked myself for that one, but thank the fucking lord, he didn't catch on. Not to mention, he had nearly recognized who I was, though, I knew he wouldn't get it. I looked incredibly different than I did back in high school. Plus, I went by Isabella in school, while now, I just went by Bella.

_Dumb as fuck, I'm telling you. _

I figured if all went well, which I knew it would, I'd get to see him again. Though, I didn't expect it to be straight away.

_He must work incredibly fast now._

Back in school, he'd draw it out for several weeks. Maybe now he had shortened the process to accustom his dick's needs. Either way, it worked for me. The quicker I could do this, the quicker he'd be a pile of humiliated sludge on the floor, and I'd be able to get back to my merry ass life.

Hopefully, the next part of my plan would work, because if it did, it would really seal the deal.

_Oh, come on, Bella. You know it's gonna fucking work!_

And, indeed, I did.

I wasn't going to be one of his forgotten fucks. I wanted to get inside his head, make him beg for me; make him completely putty in my capable hands. Once I did that, I'd pull the fucking switch and shut the bastard out of my life forever.

With all the guys I had been with, I would seduce them with my charms, my natural outgoing personality. To them, I'd come across as the girl-next-door, but in reality I was so fucking far from that. They'd become so infatuated with me, some even confessing their love, but then I'd sleep with them. When I'd abandon them, they'd wonder what the hell they did wrong to scare me off, never blaming me once.

I wanted Edward to not just be completely heartbroken over me, but to fucking come undone. I wanted a part of him to die.

Harsh as it may have seemed, he deserved no less.

I placed my feet back on the ground and stood up. I shoved the cell phone into my purse, checked myself in the little mirror we had placed in the office, and then walked out of the room.

"Bella, wait up!" I heard a male's voice call from behind me.

I turned around to see one of my employees, Jacob, hustling towards me.

"Jacob. How's everything?" I asked, wondering if something had happened out at the bar.

He stopped right in front of me, almost out of breath. "Yeah, everything's good."

"Alright... good!" I said, and then continued to walk.

He stopped me. "Wait! Uh... my shift is almost over."

_Okay..._

"Yes, I'm aware of that." I was starting to get antsy now and wanted to return back to the bar.

"Well, if you're not doing anything, maybe I could take you out for drinks."

_We're in a place with drinks... and he wants to take me out for drinks._

I smiled distantly. "Oh, well... thank you, Jacob. I actually have plans with someone tonight. In fact, I was just going to head out the door right now."

"Oh," he said, dejected. Then he quickly bounced back. "Okay then, another time!" He walked back into the direction he had come from and out of sight.

_Ugh. _

I recovered and then walked out into the bar, remembering to put on my best "I'm a fucking clueless broad that thinks you're gonna be my new boyfriend" expression. Whatever the fuck that was... I fucking improvised.

He was still sitting at the bar, his back toward me. I took in how much his hair hadn't changed after all these years; still a complete mess, but sexy as hell... to most women. Definitely not me...

I rolled my eyes at myself.

I casually ran a hand across his left shoulder, causing him to shudder. I leaned down near his ear and whispered, "I'm ready."

He shot up off the stool and then gestured a hand in front of him, signaling for me to lead the way out of the club. I walked towards the exit, making sure that my ass found a steady rhythm, swaying as he walked behind me. We walked outside, and he headed over to valet, handing them a ticket. I made sure to not make eye contact with any of my staff, just in case they decided to converse with me.

A dark blue fucking hot car turned around the corner, causing my mouth to drop. An Aston Martin Vanquish.

_Holy mother of Cullen._

Edward opened the door for me, and I quickly hopped in, still gobsmacked.

_Fucking trust fund baby._

He hopped into the driver's seat and peeled the car onto the main road. We didn't say much during the very short ride over. He glanced at me a couple times, which I saw out of the corner of my eye, but that was it. I was, honestly, too mesmerized by all the fancy buttons and knobs on his center console.

I wouldn't say I was rich... well, I wasn't. I had grown up a modest life in a modest house with modest parents, went to college on a scholarship and had basically earned my living ever since. I'd say at the point I was at in my life, I was sitting comfortably. The club would, hopefully, help out a little more.

But, of course, fucking Cullen had to have everything handed to him on a golden platter, not even silver--a fucking diamond encrusted golden platter with expensive caviar, cheese, and whatever else rich old bags tend to eat.

We had only gone a couple blocks down when he parked in a space and got out of the car. I let him open the door for me because I knew that was his way of trying to work his charm.

True chivalry was definitely dead these days. Left in its wake was chivalry for the sake of a good screw. Great.

"So, where are we headed?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Just this café down here. They're open pretty late usually, and they have the best sitting areas," he said as he walked beside me on the pavement.

_Sounds like he goes there often. He must bring all his pathetic dates there to get them comfortable. _

"You know, you never asked me for my name..." He cast me a sideways glance and gave me a cocky grin.

_Oh, shit._ _Slip up number two. _ _That's okay; I can save myself._

"I figure it's more fun to guess," I said, matching his grin.

"Oh, really? Guess away."

_Fine, I'll play your little game for now._

"Sebastian."

"Nope."

"Artemis."

"No."

"Orpheus."

"...No..."

"Xenos."

"What the hell kind of names are these?" he asked, chuckling.

"Hey, they are legitimate names."

"From what era?"

"Good point," I said dryly.

He laughed and then, after a moment, said, "It's Edward."

We soon came up to this ivy-covered, quaint, little coffee shop. It had only outdoor seating with intimate couches, small tables by an outdoor fire, and many heat lamps. If I weren't there with Edward, I would've wanted to go there every single day.

_How had I never seen this place before?!_

I suddenly realized that I had momentarily fallen for the magic.

_Fuck!_

I quickly snapped out of it. "Nice place..." I said nonchalantly.

All he did was smile as he led me to one of their outdoor wicker couches. The place was moderately busy, considering it was a little after midnight.

"Does this place ever close?" I asked.

"In a couple hours, I'd imagine. They open late and stay open late," he answered, getting comfortable on the seat. His arm came up and rested on the back of the wicker couch right behind my neck. He wasn't touching me though. Not yet. I was sure his plan was to build up to it.

_Not if I could help it._

A waitress came over and stopped short in front of us. She looked at me, then at Edward. Her expression turned to one of surprise when she looked at him, which caused me to roll my eyes.

_Yeah, look all you want. Such good looks wasted on such a lousy man, anyway. _

I turned my head away, as I let her have her eye-fuck fun.

_Damn... this place has fucking chess tables. _

I suddenly heard someone clear their throat. I looked over at Edward, who I assumed made that noise.

"I said, what do you want to drink?" he asked.

The waitress glared down at me, which caused me to smile.

"I'll just have a double shot of espresso."

I was going to need the energy boost for what I had planned later.

"I'll have the same," he said to the waitress.

I wasn't sure what his game plan was there. Order the same thing as me so that I saw that we had things in common? Yeah, right...

She looked down at him and, if I was correct, fucking batted her eyelashes and said, "Do you need anything... else?"

Edward looked at me curiously, like he was trying to figure me out. I just looked away again.

_Whoa, this place has fucking outlets everywhere... outside! I should bring my laptop here._

"Bella?" I heard Edward say, which caused me to turn my head back to him.

"Yeah?" I answered him.

"Sorry about that... I'm sure that was awkward."

_What the hell is he talking about?_

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, she was being a bit forward with her... stares. Didn't you see?"

I laughed inwardly. He wanted me to be jealous!

"Not really. I was admiring the place," I said innocently.

He, again, looked like he was trying to figure me out somehow.

_Try all you want, buddy_!

"So, tell me about yourself, Bella," he started.

_Oh, no, no, no we don't._

"Why don't _you_ tell me about _yourself_." I gave him a big smile.

He chuckled. "Okay. Well, I'm twenty-five years old and..." And that's where I stopped listening. I didn't really care. I wasn't here, after all, to get to know him.

I just smiled and nodded every now and then. He had already been talking my ear off for around three minutes.

_God, this asshole can talk._

"...ex-boyfriend's name?" I tuned back into what he was saying.

_Huh? _

I gave him a confused expression.

"I said, what was your ex-boyfriend's name?"

_Why the fuck is he asking me that?!_

I started to panic.

_I hate this name part! I always fail. _

I honestly said the first name that popped into my head. "Jasper."

"Jasper?" he asked. "That's funny. I used to know a Jasper back in high school. That's sort of a unique name."

_Shit!_

Thankfully, I was saved by him semi-changing the subject. "So, tell me about him." He looked at me with the best Goddamn Academy Award winning expression that looked like he was actually interested.

"Not much to tell, really. Met in college, fell in love, dated for a long time, cheated on me with some random chick. Was completely devastated. "

"I'm sorry, that has to be terrible," he said sympathetically.

_Oh, shut... **up**. _

"Yeah... I just hope I'll be able to get over it." I turned and glanced at him, trying to look innocent.

Our waitress came back with our drinks and placed them in front of us. She didn't really place my espresso down, it was more of a distinct slam.

_Don't get your panties in a bundle, lady. If you want him, you can certainly have him... after I'm through with him, of course._

The waitress stomped off, and Edward grabbed his shot of espresso, holding it up in the air. Figuring he wanted to toast, I grabbed mine, too.

"Here's to new beginnings," he said and pulled his shot back in one swig.

I mirrored him and then placed the shot glass down. I was just about to get comfortable again in the couch when I saw a familiar mop of blond hair.

_FUCK! NO, NO, NO! _

"Bella?"

I looked to see the blond now standing in front of me with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Jasper," I said, dumbfounded.

"Bella, what are you doing here? I thought--"

"Jasper?" Edward asked, confused. He looked closer at Jasper. "Wait a second... wait a fucking minute! Jasper Whitlock?"

Jasper smiled, looking at Edward. "Edward Cullen... wow. Been a long time, man."

Edward smiled back. "Yeah, it has been. Remember, we used to have Chem together?"

Jasper laughed at the memory and said, "Oh, yeah! And Bella--"

I coughed loudly.

_Shut the fuck up, Jasper!_

I narrowed my eyes at him, warning him not to say another motherfucking word.

Jasper continued warily, "--And... Bella... and you probably want to get back to your conversation, I'm sure."

_Nice save... NOT. _

The bright light seemed to click in Edward's head, because he suddenly was looking back and forth between Jasper and I furiously. I inwardly started to panic, realizing my cover could be blown any minute.

"It was nice seeing you again, Edward," he acknowledged. "I'll talk to you later on, Bella." He eyed me and walked off quickly.

_Yeah, you better! _

Jasper and I had been best friends since high school. We went to the same college together and were even roommates for a while. He was, and still was, a big part of my life. Edward did not know that though.

"That was him, wasn't it? Your ex?" he whispered to me.

"Uhhhh..." I barely got out.

"So, you two are still friends?" he asked.

"Um, yeah. Long history together, I suppose," I said, praying he wouldn't pry anymore.

All he said was, "Hmm."

Trying to redeem myself, I said, "So, tell me more about yourself."

He chuckled. "I think we know enough about me. Why not tell me something about you?"

"Well... " I tried to think of what I could say without giving too much away about myself. "I'm twenty-five."

He nodded and said, "And, what else?"

_Okay, enough. Time go into the next phase._

I trailed a finger on his knee, circling it around the kneecap and said, "I enjoy watching movies."

He looked like he had gulped. I trailed my finger a little higher up his leg.

"Oh, yeah? Name a movie," he said, eyeing my finger's movements.

"_Lord of the G-Strings_," I stated purposefully.

He seemed to choke on air with wide eyes.

"Oh, silly me..." I quickly said innocently. "I meant _Lord of the Rings_. Though, I _have_ seen the other movie." I took my finger away and smiled at him.

He seemed a little dazed. "That sounds like a porno."

"Yep. That's cause it is," I gave him a suggestive look.

"You watch porn?"

"Maybe, maybe not..." I said vaguely, teasing him.

He moved a little closer to me, our knees touching and our chests hovering near each other. "Do you... watch porn, Bella?"

I looked up into his green eyes that were now dark. "Yes."

He stared down at me and then shot up out of his seat, like the place was on fire. "I need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back." He walked away briskly.

_What the fuck?_

I contemplated for a moment if he had just abandoned me, but then I saw on the table his car keys and phone, and I _knew_ he wouldn't leave without those two things.

_Maybe he really is in the bathroom. _

I couldn't be sure, but he seemed to be, at least, a little turned on by the porn talk. I had definitely changed the mood of the night very quickly, and I had to keep with the flow of it, otherwise things would never work.

I took his keys and phone and stuffed them in my purse. I placed my purse behind the wicker couch, which was backed up against the wall, but had allowed a minimal amount of space between. Then I got up and saw our waitress. I walked up to her and asked, "Excuse me, where's the bathroom?" She begrudgingly pointed in the direction and then scurried off.

I went inside the café and located the bathroom doors. The ladies room was vacant with the door wide open, while the gentleman's room was occupied with a sliver of light peeking out from the bottom. I sauntered over to it and then knocked on the door.

Nothing happened.

I knocked again, which earned a groan from inside the bathroom. "Someone's in here!" I heard Edward call out.

I knocked again, this time louder. Suddenly, the door flew open revealing Edward. "I _said_ I'm fucking in--"

He looked down at me, shocked.

"--here..." he finished.

I knocked him back suddenly with my hands, pushing against his chest into the small bathroom.

"Bella, what are you--"

"Shhhh..." I said quietly. I walked in and closed the door behind me, locking it.

I slowly walked over to him and he started to back up until his back came in contact with the wall.

"Bella, I think--" he started again.

I cut him off. "You think too much."

With that, I grabbed his shirt, knotted it at his chest, and yanked him down to me, but stopped when his lips got near mine. I slowly brushed my lips over his and flicked my tongue out to outline his bottom lip. His wide eyes fluttered closed and his lips parted. I could hear his breath become uneven. I stepped closer, pressing my chest up against his, and covered his lips with mine lightly.

I brought my hand up and placed it on his bicep, slowly caressing his skin while moving it up and down his arm. Our lips started to slowly find a rhythm, dancing with each other to the music of our labored breathing. I placed my hand on his hip and yanked his torso towards mine, crashing our most intimate places. He groaned in my mouth and brought his hands up my hips, digging his long fingers into my sides.

I could feel his hard cock straining against his jeans, which caused me to rub my hips against his. He let out a loud grunt and, just like that, he suddenly stopped the kiss, and flipped me around roughly so that my back was on the wall. He placed his hands on my ass, one hand on each cheek, and pushed his stiff cock against my hot core.

He brought his face back down to mine and attacked my mouth vigorously, his tongue jutting out of his mouth and into mine. Our tongues intertwined as he moved one of his hands down from my ass and to my thigh. He grabbed it and pulled it upward, wrapping one of my legs around his waist. Now having better access, I gyrated my hips against his.

"Bella..." he moaned into my mouth.

His swollen lips moved to my neck, nibbling and sucking on the skin there.

"Your place..." I breathed.

He stopped sucking my neck and brought his head up to look at me. "Why not yours?"

"I think my roommate has a guy at our place."

It was true. Rose was probably fucking that guy she went to talk to earlier. Not to mention, I never allowed guys back at my apartment. How would I sneak out, otherwise?

I pushed into him again, earning almost a whimper-groan. I smiled to myself.

He seemed to be thinking for a long minute, confliction darting around in his eyes. I was just about to say to forget it, until he said, "Okay, let's go."

I brought my leg down from his waist and stepped around him. He walked up to the door and opened it slightly. He stuck his head out to see if anyone was around and then opened it further to let me out. I walked out, trying to smooth down my clothes. We walked back to our seat. I reached behind the couch and pulled out my purse, then opened it and got out his keys and phone. I threw them at him, which caused him to sheepishly grin.

I turned and walked away towards the exit, with him following directly behind me.

As we walked to his car, I started to think how great it felt to be in control of him, to see his reactions when I'd touch him. To see how I affected him. I wouldn't deny it... I was turned on. My panties were probably completely soaked through, but I still kept my eyes on the prize.

We got into his Vanquish, and he started the car, quickly pulling out of the space and onto the road.

When his driving became steady, I lunged at him, my lips coming in contact with his neck, sucking and biting the smooth skin.

"Ugh! Bella..." he moaned. His grip on the steering wheel became tighter as I continued my actions.

I brought my hand over and planted it on his chest, then slowly trailed it down his stomach and onto his rock hard dick. I wrapped my entire hand around it through his jeans and squeezed.

"Fuck!" he called out.

I began rubbing him through his jeans, grabbing, stroking, massaging. When we were stopped at a red light, he took his hands off the wheel and jutted a hand in between my legs, his fingers making contact with my clit through my panties.

_Oh, wow..._

"God, Bella... you're so fucking wet."

He had just started to rub my clit when the light turned green. With a frustrated groan, he removed his hand and put it back on the steering wheel. I continued to massage his member, making him practically writhe in his chair.

No sooner than two minutes later, the car stopped in an underground parking lot, and he got out of the car quickly. I grabbed my purse below my seat and was just about to open the door when it jerked open and Edward scooped me up into his arms; placing my legs around his waist. I wrapped an arm around his neck and placed my other hand in his hair, fisting it hard.

He walked us both over to an elevator and pressed the button with the side of his body, since his hands were busy groping my ass. When the elevator door dinged open, he threw us in, my back colliding hard with the wall. His tongue attacked mine again, and I sucked on it. The door opened to a floor, and we were both out of the elevator and running down a short hallway.

He stopped short at a door and took a hand away from my ass to reach inside his pocket. He retrieved a shiny set of keys and fumbled with the lock to get it open. Once it was, he kicked open the door with his foot and walked in quickly, closing the door again with his foot.

He threw his keys across the room and slammed my body against the back of the door. I distinctly heard the sound of keys crash on the hardwood floor as his hand came up to my thigh and started to move the hem of my dress up.

I stopped him by taking my hand out of his hair and placing it on his hand, stopping his movements, and whispered, "Bedroom."

His green eyes flashed to mine, our eyes connecting for a brief moment. Then, he spun on his heel and dragged us off to a door, kicking that open, too. Next thing I knew, I was thrown on a king-sized bed. I slid up to the top of the mattress and rested my head on the pillow. He crawled up towards me and hovered over my body.

"You're so fucking beautiful..." he whispered, looking down at my face and then my body.

_Shut up and just kiss me again._

I grabbed his shirt and brought him down on top of me, our lips meeting again. I fisted my hand into his hair and wrapped my legs around his hips tightly, allowing him more access to me. His hand came up and lightly ghosted my breast. I inhaled sharply in his mouth then bit his lower lip lightly. Suddenly, his hand grabbed my breast firmly. My nipple betrayed me, growing hard at his touch.

_Shit! _

I felt a flood start to occur in my panties, letting me know that I had to stop here and move on to the next phase.

I pulled my mouth away from his. "Condom," I whispered.

He looked down at me in a daze and then said, "Oh, yeah. I'll be back."

He crawled back down the bed and stood up. He walked over to a dresser in his room and opened the top drawer where he found a box of Durex condoms.

_Now!_

I quickly shut my eyes... and the room went black.

* * *

**A/N:**

***gasp* What happened? Hehe. Leave a review and tell me your theories.**

**I've been very happy with the feedback I've gotten about Bella. Even though she's sort of a maneater, you guys respect her. lol. In our modern times, men shouldn't be the only ones that get to have a little fun!**

**Make sure to follow me on twitter for updates and teasers: xrxdanixrx**


	4. Daze

**A/N:**

**Alright, alright. Many thanks: CatMasters and lexiecullen17 for beta-ing, AngelStardust for pre-reading. Hannah for V-betaing. Diana Wolfskill & coreenm for revising. iDrinkBloodshake for the new kick ass banner. *deep breath*  
**

**The effervescent CatMasters made a Twilighted thread for Hate Me. I'd love it if you all stopped by and told me how much you love/hate the fic!**

**_www(DOT)twilighted(DOT)net/forum/__viewtopic(DOT)php?f=44&t=8933_**

**Also, Hate Me-Bella has officially been dubbed Revengella. Thank you, Sandra, for that! May Revengella kick Schemeward's no-good ass! Hehe.

* * *

**

**Previously…**

**Bella and Edward go on a date. Edward chooses Bella as his next victim, little does she know that she's not giving into his charades. Bella and Edward start to steam it up until Bella executes a part of her plan.

* * *

**

**~*DAZE*~  
*EDWARD***

"Uhhh… hello?"

_What was her name again?_

_Well, you've been calling her Bella all night, so that better be right. _

"Bella… hello?" Her mouth was hanging open, which I found disconcerting. I tried to close it for her, but her lips fell open again as soon as I removed my hand.

Sitting on the bed next to her with a condom wrapper in my hand, I stared down at her unconsciousness form. She was lying on her back against my pillow, her dress and hair completely rumpled.

My gaze drifted down to my crotch where I was sporting the world's hardest erection ever.

_Shit…_

I had never been so worked up in my life. The evening had started out normal with just conversation, but somewhere along the road, it had taken on a very different path than what I had originally expected it to be.

_It was all that damn porn talk!_

She had started talking about porn, and I completely lost it, imagining her watching porn, imagining her in the porno, imagining me and her in the porno, imagining me and her fucking like two rabid bunnies… and then a whole world of possibilities opened up from there.

If I didn't want her to run away, I knew I'd have to make a run for the bathroom, which I did. I had unzipped my fly and let my cock spring free with a sigh of relief. Not a moment later, someone knocked on my door, interrupting my moment alone to gather my thoughts and rein in my hormones. By the third damn knock, I had stuffed my dick back in my pants and was ready to smack the shit out of whoever was bothering me. I opened the door and was completely stunned to see Bella. The next thing I knew, she was backing me against a wall and practically molesting me. Well… I was very willing.

I completely lost control.

To _her_.

I didn't want things to move this fast. Lord knows, I loved the challenge, but there was something about her that just turned me on so fucking much. It wasn't just her looks, although she looked like a fucking goddess, but her personality and the way she carried herself

Very sexy.

I had never let a girl take control of a situation like that. I'd always been the one in control, deciding what to do and when to do it. So, I was completely surprised to find myself letting her take the lead.

I actually _wanted_ her to control me.

_That's some fucking messed up shit. _

I knew I was a goner when she wanted to go back to my place and I fucking said "okay". What the fuck? I had never, ever, let a girl come back to my place.

Why the fuck her?

What made her so special?

I still hadn't figured that out yet. Especially with her moaning in my mouth and her tits all up on my chest.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I looked down to see that Bella was still passed out.

"Bella…?" I grabbed her shoulders and shook her lightly.

My expression turned to one of pain when I looked down at my erection that wasn't going away, then at the condom still in my hands, and back up at her.

_Holy fuck-shit-cock! How the hell did she fall asleep?!_

Did she have too much to drink? She only had one drink with me, but maybe before that… She didn't seem drunk though…

"Wake up!" I whisper-yelled. She fucking made me horny as shit, and she was going to fix it!

Bella suddenly started to move.

_Oh, thank you. Thank you. _

Then, she turned on her side away from me and started to snore lightly.

_FUCK!_

I stood up and paced around like a fucking Duracell bunny on crack.

_Dear God, if you ever loved me at all, you'll wake up this beautiful creature and let me fuck her the way I want to! _

I looked back at her, her chest rising and falling with her slow breaths.

I had done everything according the plan up until now. I took her to my regular café, a place that made most women feel comfortable and spill their guts. The waitress drooling over me was an added bonus.

Yes, I wanted Bella to be jealous. That way, she would instantly claim me as hers and we'd be good to go for more wining and dining. But, she didn't even acknowledge the waitress. I couldn't see how she could have failed to notice the blatant flirting, but when I asked her, she claimed she hadn't even seen it.

Then, her damn ex-boyfriend had to show up. Turned out, I had known him from high school. My question was: how did he know Bella?

I walked to the edge of the bed and stared down at her again. I sighed loudly and went over to the other side of the mattress that she wasn't occupying. I removed my wallet and phone from my jeans and set them down on my bedside table along with the pathetically unused condom. Even though I was making a decent amount of noise, she still didn't budge.

I sat down on the mattress, the springs bouncing her body lightly.

I debated whether to run into the bathroom and take care of my problem, but was worried that she'd wake up. I wanted _her_ to take care of my problem.

Mulling it over, I lay back against the pillow, and before I knew it, I was drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

X-X-X-X

My eyes were closed, but I could tell the sun was shining brightly. I rubbed them as I forced my self awake. My alarm clock read 8:25 a.m. I looked down and realized I was still wearing my clothes from the night prior. I also had morning wood. Though, this morning wood wasn't like any morning wood I'd ever had. I was practically ready to burst out of the fabric of my jeans.

The night's events started to come back to me quickly. I groaned, remembering that the woman I'd brought back to my apartment had fallen asleep right when we were about to have sex.

_Shit, that means she's still here. _

I turned my head to the side where she had been passed out the night before and…

_What?!_

I patted the empty spot next to me.

_Where did she go?_

I bolted up and looked around the room in a frenzy. There was nothing in the room to indicate that she'd even been here. I checked the dark bathroom, but she wasn't there either.

As I stepped out, a plague of silence swept over me. I could tell instantly that no one was in the apartment, not even Emmett. I looked towards the front door, which was firmly closed but not locked.

_She fucking left!_

A mixture of anger, sadness, and confusion coursed through me. I was angry because how dare she just fucking leave me unsatisfied with a hard on. I was sad because I had actually enjoyed her company and had wanted to see her next to me in the morning. I was confused because… I was acting like a complete fucking whipped pussy.

_She's just a girl! You can get that shit anywhere. _

Irritated, I went to the kitchen to make myself breakfast. Something shiny on the floor caught my eye. It was a light green LG Rumor with one of those keyboards that slid out the side. When I picked it up, the screen brightened, displaying the name "Bella". My eyes went wide as I realized I had her phone in my hands. I wasn't sure what to do.

A wicked thought entered my mind. I pressed her voicemail, but there were no messages. I looked in her address book and there were only three people listed: Jasper, Rosalie, and Alice.

_Geez, this girl is a bit picky with her friendships. _

I scrolled through her text messages, feeling very much like a stalker.

I wasn't sure why I cared so much. This girl had just abandoned me with blue balls, yet I was looking through her personal shit.

I got to the last message that had been sent only a few hours prior.

**Where are you?  
Still on for working out at Gold's gym 3 p.m? **

**-Rose**

I quickly looked for her reply.

**Nowhere in particular.  
And yep, meet you there.  
-Bella**

_Nowhere in particular?_

This little minx had no clue what she was talking about.

I decided I was going to make an appearance at her little gym and show her exactly what she had missed, what she could've had.

It suddenly occurred to me that she'd probably be there… running… and sweating.

_Oh, God._

My erection returned in an instant. If I wanted to show up at the gym to meet Bella, I was going to have to take care of this.

I went into my bedroom, tossing Bella's phone on the bed, and grabbed my own off the bedside table.

_Which of the KIT girls do I want?_

Emmett started referring to Kate, Irina, and Tanya as the KIT girls, which included the first letter of their names. He always said that they had the tools to fix my sexual needs.

Each girl was good for certain things.

Kate was extremely flexible.

Irina was adventurous and kinky.

Tanya just gave good head.

I wasn't too in the mood for theatrics or long sessions, so I quickly chose Tanya and dialed her number. Normally, I'd just call her up, show up at her place, unzip my fly, and she'd go to town. Quick and painless.

When Tanya picked up, she instantly agreed, of course, and I went over there. When she was done, and I was relieved of my stress, I quickly ran out of there and went back home to change for the gym.

My cell phone started ringing while I was putting on some shorts in my bedroom. I grabbed my phone and saw that it was Emmett.

"Hey, Em. What's up?"

"Edward, man, I have a shit load to tell you. Where are you?" he asked. I could hear the sounds of cars in the background.

"I'm getting ready to go to the gym. Why?"

"No way. That's what I'm doing."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Which gym?"

"Some gym called Gold's Gym. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I met this fucking hot girl last night and now we're going to the gym together."

_What the hell?_

I prayed that he wasn't talking about the same girl that had just been in my bed several hours before.

"Who's the girl?" I asked.

"Her name is Rosalie. God, she's a fox. I was with her all last night, that's why I wasn't home."

I hadn't even noticed that Emmett didn't come home last night.

My brain suddenly zeroed in on the name of the girl Emmett was with. "Does Rosalie by any chance go by Rose?" I inquired.

"Hmm. I think I heard one of her friends call her that last night."

_Bingo._

This Rose person was clearly a good friend of Bella's who was meeting up with her at the gym after shacking up with my brother.

_What a fucking small world. _

For some reason, the tune of the Disney ride, "It's a small world," popped into my head, and I groaned.

_Gay. _

"Can you swing by and pick me up?" I asked.

"Yeah. Sure. Give me a few minutes," he said and hung up.

When Emmett arrived, I grabbed my stuff and we drove to the gym. I decided not to bring Bella's phone, as I didn't want to admit I had been stalking her text messages. For now, I'd just keep it.

"So, was your new chick any good in the sack?" I asked as we pulled into a parking spot on the street.

"I wouldn't know," he said vaguely as he put quarters in the parking meter.

"How would you not know? Were you drunk off your face or something?" I questioned.

"We didn't have sex."

_Whoa, hold the phone! _

"You say this girl is 'hot', yet you didn't even fuck her?" I questioned.

"Well, when she came up to me in the club last night, I thought she'd be easy, but I was wrong," he explained coolly.

"Ahhh, she's a challenge. Trying to get a look into my world, huh?" I teased with a cocky smile.

"Your world is fucked up, bro."

"You envy it, and you know it," I stated, chuckling. "So, if you didn't fuck her, what did you do?"

"We talked."

"Talked?" I choked out, stopping outside the entrance to the gym. "Emmett. Talking is my thing, not yours. You don't 'talk' to girls. You screw them."

"Well, maybe I didn't feel like having mindless sex for once!" He swung the door open and walked into the gym, leaving me a bit stunned.

I walked into the massive gym after him. "Hey, man. My bad… if that's what you want, then cool."

He rolled his eyes and slapped a hand to my shoulder. "You're turning pussy on me, Edward."

I laughed as we walked in further. There were rows upon rows of various types of machines. Lined against the walls were rooms where various exercise classes seemed to be taking place. The gym was fairly busy, but I would've imagined it to get even busier once people left work.

"There she is…" Emmett pointed out with a pathetic looking smile on his face.

I looked down toward the other end of the establishment to find the tall leggy blonde I had seen Emmett with the night before. She was jogging on the treadmill with a pair of white earbuds. I searched everywhere around her and couldn't find Bella, but I knew she had to be here as well.

I followed Emmett across the room towards Miss Legs. He stopped right in front of her machine. "Hey there," he said to her.

When she noticed he was there, she pressed some button on the machine, and it slowed her pace down to a brisk walk. "Emmett, you're here!" She leaned forward, as best as she could, and chastely kissed the side of his cheek, which earned a bright smile from Emmett.

I practically gagged.

_And he actually accused__** me**__ of turning pussy on __**him**__?_

Leggy Rose turned to me suddenly and narrowed her eyes.

_Whoa… what got shoved up her ass?_

I backed up a bit, bumping into a treadmill behind me.

"Oh, Rose… this is my brother, Edward," Emmett introduced. "Hey, where's your friend, Bella? Maybe they could meet."

Her ball-bruising stare slowly turned cocky, offering me a snarky grin. "Oh, Bella's in the weight room. Why don't you go… introduce yourself."

_This chick is weird… I'm outta here._

I nodded and walked away from them. Her face instantly brightened as she picked up a conversation with Emmett.

_Where the hell did he find this broad?_ _ Oh, that's right… same place I found Bella. _

I walked into another large room cluttered with work out machines. Looking around, I noticed there were mostly men occupying the machines. A lot of them seemed distracted, looking in the same direction every now and then. I followed their glances to the corner. There, sitting in a leg press machine, was Bella dressed in teeny shorts and a black sports bra. She was seated low to the ground while her smooth, toned legs were raised high up in the air, bending and stretching against a flat metal surface.

A million fantasies started running through my head. Bella's legs wrapped around my waist as I pumped into her… Bella's legs wrapped around my neck as I sucked her clit…

Glancing at the other guys in the room, it looked as if they were thinking along the same lines. I groaned, annoyed, and contemplated how I should approach Bella. Considering she had snuck out of my apartment, I figured she wouldn't be all too thrilled for me to just show up and start talking to her. No, I knew it had to look like a casual, coincidental meeting.

On impulse, I grabbed the hem of my shirt, lifted it over my head, and then tossed it in the corner. I looked in a nearby mirror, checking out and flexing my muscles while squaring my shoulders as to keep my chest looking defined. I walked across the room, every guy angrily glancing up at me as I neared her. She was still pumping her legs into the air, which brought my dick out of its slumber.

I casually settled myself on one of the upper body workout machines located next to her. I set the weight on the machine and placed my hands on the bar above my head, then slowly brought it down to chest. She still hadn't noticed I was there, so I tried to clear my throat nonchalantly to get her attention. I could see, out of the corner of my eye, her head turn in my direction. Her leg movement stopped as she seemed to be assessing my body.

I inwardly smiled in victory and then pretended to glance at her and notice her for the first time. "Oh! Bella… what a coincidence…"

She suddenly laughed, which caused me to frown.

_What the hell is so funny?_

I looked down at my body to see what she was laughing at.

"A coincidence, yes. Funny how you should be at the exact gym I'm at, using the machine directly next to me, at the precise time I'm here."

_Busted…_

I continued to act nonchalant. "Yeah, you must be stalking me…"

She snorted and got up from her machine.

I placed the bar back in its original spot. "It's okay, Bella. I promise not to file for a restraining order," I teased, smiling.

She walked off, leaving me standing in a room full of men who ogled her ass as she strutted past them.

I quickly walked up to her and grabbed her arm, spinning her around to face me. "Hey… why did you leave this morning?"  
_  
Shit… why the fuck did I just ask that like a little pussy? _

She answered back indifferently, "Oh, well, I figured it would've just been easier if you didn't wake up to me in your bed. I mean, who really wants to wake up next to someone they had a one night stand with?"

_What? She thinks we had sex?_

"Bella, we didn't have sex last night," I admitted.

She looked confused. "We didn't?"

"No…"

Her expression turned blank. "Oh. Well, then…" She shrugged her shoulders. "Okay!" she exclaimed a bit too jovially, and then walked off into the main part of the gym.

I stood there, baffled.

She had snuck off when she thought we'd slept together, but then she found out we didn't and she acted indifferent?

_Well, shit… this won't fucking do. _

I stomped after her while she hopped up onto an elliptical machine. I stopped in front of it, looking up at her, and put on my most charming smile. "You know, I'd like to take you out again."

She looked at me quizzically. "After I practically attacked you last night? Edward, you seem like a nice guy, and I'd hate to take advantage of you."

_Shouldn't that be the other way around?_

I realized then that she said something that I had, one too many times, said to women when I tried to break it off with them. _"You seem like a nice girl, but I don't want to take advantage of you." _

Shaking it off, I replied, "I think I'll be the judge of that."

Bella looked wary. "Mmm… I don't know…" she trailed off.

"Please?" I practically begged.

_Why the fuck am I begging her?!_

She sighed. "Fine… when?

_Yes! Soon I'll have her eating out of the palm of my hand, figuratively and literally speaking. _

"Tomorrow."

"I'll have to check my schedule."

I rolled my eyes.

_Check her schedule… oh, please…_

She got off the elliptical, walked over to a gym bag, unzipped it, and then pulled out a black leather-bound book. She flipped it open and thumbed through the pages while walking back over to me. "Let's see… Well, tomorrow I actually am busy."

_Busy?_

She continued flipping pages. "But it looks like I'm available Sunday." She paused for a moment. "Oh, wait… no. I actually do have plans."

_What the fuck?_

She looked up at me from her book. "The next time I'm available is Monday evening… before 9 p.m."

_What the hell does this chick do all the time? _

She continued, "That good for you?"

_Tell her you have plans! Make her beg for it!_

"Yep, that's good," I replied.

_You idiot. _

"Good!" She scribbled something down furiously and then slammed her book shut, casting a sly smile my way.

A light breeze blew nearby; we turned to see Emmett and Satan Rose standing next to us.

Rose, who was still staring daggers at me, turned her attention to Bella, "Hey Bella, I want you to meet Emmett."

"Oh!" Bella exclaimed. "This is the cute guy you were talking about." Bella held out her hand.

Emmett shook her hand lightly and smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Bella."

"We should probably go, Bella. Gotta be at work soon," Rosalie said.

"Well, can I offer you ladies a ride? Where do you both work?" Emmett asked.

Rosalie and Bella looked at each other and then at the same time sputtered, "No…no" repeatedly, as well as, "We're fine."

"We brought Rose's car today, anyway," Bella said.

"Okay then, I guess I'll see you later then?" Emmett asked Rosalie.

"Sure! See ya!" Rosalie said, and grabbed Bella's arm, pulling her away.

I realized something. "Wait!" I called after Bella. "How do I contact you?"

Bella giggled and looked over her shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure something out!" She continued walking toward the exit and then left.

I stood there, looking at the spot where she last was, completely bewildered. I had gone to the gym expecting to show her what she was missing. All that happened was that I got a possible date from her; but that date was useless if I couldn't even contact her!

_Emmett!_

Emmett would most likely have Rosalie's number, who then would have Bella's number.

I turned to him. "Em, give me Rosalie's number."

He looked angry. "No fucking way, man!"

I rolled my eyes. "Not because I wanna screw her, you dickhead. I want Bella's number, and she's the only way I can get it."

"Oh…" he said, calming down. _  
_

"Well?" I questioned, wanting the number.

"Can't."

"What do you mean you can't?"

_How hard can it be to give me one lousy phone number?  
_

"Don't have it," he admitted.

_Oh, brother…_

"How do you not have it? You saw Rosalie today, after all."

"Well, we hung out all last night, and then at the end she told me to come here, so I told her I'd just meet her. We didn't exchange phone numbers. I was going to ask her for her number today, but… I forgot."

"You idiot…" I rolled my eyes. "When you like a girl, you get her fucking number!"

"Says the douche who's still numberless."

"I can't help it if she's trying to play all these games!" I exclaimed.

"I thought you were the one who played games?"

_That's what I thought, too…_

X-X-X-X

I went home, feeling confused, annoyed, and most of all, horny. I had just come out of the shower, wearing a towel, when I heard Emmett knock and talk to me through my door.

"Edward, come out here," he called.

I made sure the towel was securely fastened around my waist before opening the door. "What?"

Emmett held out a light green phone to me. "This thing keeps buzzing, and it's driving me fucking bonkers." He threw it at me and then turned on his heel, entering the kitchen.

I fumbled with the phone for a second before looking at the screen.

_**Let's meet at Satyr tonight for drinks.**_

_**I texted Rose, too.**_

_**-Alice**_

"When did you get a new phone?" Emmett asked.

I started to menacingly chuckle. "Oh, man… you gotta check this out."

He came over to me and looked down at the phone. "Satyr? Rose? What is this?"

"This is Bella's phone," I explained.

He looked at me dumbstruck. "Huh?"

I sighed. "I met Bella last night at that stupid Touch&Go club. I took her to that café I like and then we came back here. She left her phone by accident, and I've had it since. That's how I knew that Rosalie also goes by Rose. She sent Bella a text saying she was going to the gym."

"So, you've been spying on her texts."

I diverted my eyes.

He continued, "You are all sorts of creepy, man, but… hey. Now I'll get to see Rose again and you can see that girl, Bella. Win-win to me!"

"Wait. We can't let them know that we own the club, though…" I said.

"Why not?"

"I just don't think we should go down that road."

To be honest, I had never told any of the girls I'd been with about my business life. I had always told them a little bit about my personal life, just to get them to trust me, but my business life was purely my own. I didn't want anyone tainting that.

"Fine," Emmett agreed. "Once we find them, we should try to get them away from the club. Otherwise there is a good chance one of our employees will blow our cover."

"Good point. Sounds like a plan."

If I was going to see Bella again, I'd have to be completely on my game. No premature sex attempts anymore.

I took out my phone and went through my contacts.

"Calling one of the KIT girls?" he asked, smirking.

"Shut up…"

He guffawed. "Who's it gonna be this time? Oh, wait, no… let me guess!" He thought for a moment. "It's gotta be Flexible Kate."

_How did he know?_

"What are you, some sort of Miss Cleo?" I queried.

"You just seem pretty wound up, that's all."

It was true. After seeing Bella again, my hormones were going crazy. I knew that if I saw her at the club later, we'd probably end up in a similar situation as last night, and my ego certainly didn't need that again.

I quickly dialed Kate and told her I'd meet her over at her house. Once she and I were done, I could get ready for the club. I grabbed my keys and made my exit.

"Have fun, you slut!" he called out as I shut the apartment door.

* * *

**A/N: The beginning scene of this chapter is the whole reason I even started this fic. Imagine in your head Edward looking at the condom, Bella, crotch. Condom. Bella. Crotch. Bella. Crotch. Hahahha. *sigh* My head is weird. **

**How are you enjoying the KIT girls? ;-) *vomits*  
**

**So, it's my birthday today! If you want to get me a present, leave it in the form of a review! And also, visit the Hate Me thread. That's all I ask. ;-) **

**For teasers/updates on Hate Me, follow me on twitter xrxdanixrx**


	5. Ruse

**A/N: Thanks for continuing the reviews, guys! I'm very happy with the response. :-)**

**Thank you's – CatMasters who keeps me grounded. Lexiecullen17 who continues to make me blush when she pretty's up my chapters. And who will probably slap me for saying "pretty's". AngelStardust who is my rock with this fic.

* * *

**

**_Previously..._**

**Edward wakes up to find Bella gone and left with her cell phone. He stalks her texts and meets her at a gym she planned on going to. They set a vague date, but he has no way to contact her.**

**

* * *

**

**~*RUSE*~**

***BELLA***

"You were right! The phone was pure genius!" Rosalie laughed as we entered into the apartment.

I set down my bag, chuckling. "He's so fucking predictable. You should've seen him following me like a little lost puppy."

"The fact that he even showed up there proves that he's already hooked."

Everything had been going perfectly so far. It had been my plan the whole time to seduce him into taking me back to his place. When I had fallen asleep on him, it took everything in me to not crack a smile. I only wish I had seen his face when he realized he wasn't getting any. Though, hearing him pace around in sexual frustration was completely worth it.

I deserved a fucking Oscar for that performance.

When he had fallen asleep next to me, I got up straight away and planted the phone on the floor outside his bedroom before I made my escape.

I had given him the club's shared cell phone that Alice, Rosalie, and I often used when we didn't want to run up minutes on our own. It was also the phone number I gave to the men I'd dated, so they wouldn't bug me all the time. Before Edward had taken me out on our "date," I'd deleted all the contacts except for the three closest people in my life. Rosalie had agreed to exchange fake texts with me, revealing my whereabouts for the day. So, when I saw him at the gym, I knew he had fallen for my trap.

"I have to admit…he's pretty delicious," Rose admitted, walking into the kitchen to retrieve two bottles of water.

"A delicious bastard, Rose," I clarified.

She threw a bottle of water at me, which I barely caught. "Very true. I think he may have wet his pants with the way I was glaring at him."

I laughed. "Oh no, Rose. Did you give him your infamous death stare?" I opened the bottle of water and gulped down a quarter of its contents.

"I couldn't help it! He seemed so fucking cocky. I can't believe he and Emmett are brothers. So disgusting." She took a sip of her own bottle.

"Brothers?" I choked out in disbelief.

"Yeah, that's what he introduced him to me as. Sick, huh?"

"Emmett actually seemed decent. What's his deal?" I asked.

No guy that seemed that great could come without some sort of baggage.

"I'm not sure," Rose admitted. "I've been wary of letting him in completely. I mean, I know he's a nice guy and that he likes me, but I'm just not sure if he's the relationship type."

"Well, maybe you should just take it slow. See where it leads," I advised.

"That's what I'm trying to do. Hopefully he'll come with Edward tonight."

Since Alice was also in on the plan, she sent a fake text message setting up a night out later on. If I had done my job right, Edward would show up at the club, too.

The over all scheme was meant to do one thing: make Edward Cullen fall in love with me.

While _he_ tried to work on getting me into his bed, _I'd_ work on getting into his heart. Unlike other guys in my life, I knew this would be a challenge. Edward Cullen wasn't capable of love. This made it all the more fun for me.

I'd gotten into the hearts of countless men, but most were vulnerable and willing. The only thing willing about Edward was his dick. I was certain he thought he could just bag me in a few days. He'd try to pull out all the stops to getting me into his bed.

My main strategy was to not only stay _out_ of his bed but to deflect every single one of his tricks. This would be done by acting aloof and oblivious to everything he did at first. I'd also have to, initially, appeal to him sexually by teasing him and making him practically beg for me. Yes, making him. Making him sexually weak would be the first step to breaking him down and getting into his head.

Then, once he realized I was a bigger challenge than anyone he'd ever had, I'd go into the next phase, which was to get into his personal life and become his ultimate dream girl.

The final chapter would be the end to this little revenge. Once he fell utterly in love with me, I'd sleep with him. We'd make passionate love, and he'd bear his entire soul to me. Then, I'd pull the plug and ditch him without even so much as a goodbye. He'd be a complete wreck, the mirror image of the girls he pulled this exact game with.

Perfect!

The main point, for me, was to stay in control the entire time. I would steer the relationship, not him. Though, I was sure he would try.

The front door opened and slammed, revealing Alice who was holding way too many shopping bags.

"Hey, ladies. What are you up to?" she asked, having difficulties setting her bags down so that they didn't topple over.

Rose and I both looked at each other incredulously.

"Lord, Alice. What the hell did you buy?" Rosalie asked.

Alice set her purse on the small table near the door. "Just stuff for our new apartment, as well as celebration clothes for buying the new stuff for our apartment," she said, with a big smile.

The three of us had been living somewhere else, but when our club took off, we upgraded to a much nicer three bedroom apartment near our business. Rosalie and I had absolutely no say in how our place had been decorated. Apparently, according to Alice, we didn't have good enough taste.

"So," Alice started, "how did it go?"

"He's totally hers," Rosalie blurted.

I rolled my eyes. "No," I began. "He's well on his way, but he still needs some time."

"I didn't get a good look at him last night. Is he pretty cute?" Alice asked.

"He's _okay_," I answered.

"Oh, please!" Rosalie scoffed.

_Okay, he's fucking gorgeous. _

"He was walking around the gym with no shirt on," Rosalie added.

My face suddenly grew warm at the memory.

"Look at her! Look at her!" Alice exclaimed, pointing to me. "She's blushing. That good, huh?"

I couldn't lie. "He may have a good body. He knows it though. Any guy that takes off his shirt in a gym is a cocky bastard who wants attention."

"I don't care…let any of the Cullen brothers take off their shirts. I won't protest!" Rosalie declared.

"Hey!" I barked. "Whose side are you on?"

Rose came up to me and kissed me on the forehead. "Yours. Always yours."

Alice walked further into the living room. "Wait, Cullen brothers?"

"Yeah, Emmett Cullen—the guy I met—and Edward Cullen, why?" Rosalie answered.

Alice looked pensive, and then suddenly disappeared into her room. "Hold on! Just hold on a moment," she called out.

Rose and I looked at each other with curious expressions.

Not a minute later, Alice returned holding a laptop. She set it on the coffee table in front of the couch and fired it up. Rose and I both joined her on the sofa.

"While you two were off gallivanting with guys, _I_ was doing some research on Satyr," Alice said.

"_You_ need to get laid, Alice," Rose commented.

I snickered.

Alice narrowed her eyes at Rosalie, and then continued, "Anyway…I was in our office on the computer, and I punched in Satyr into Google." Alice brought up the search engine and started typing. "Turns out the club has its own website. So, I went and started clicking around."

Satyr's website came up on the screen with an explosion of glitzy flash images and loud club music.

"Check this out," Alice added. She clicked a button at the top labeled, "Contact" and it took us to a normal page with club contact details. Alice pointed to a spot on the screen. "Look."

Rose and I both leaned down at the same time. _**  
**_

_**If you are looking for a job as a bartender, we are currently hiring. You can email your resume to our General Manager at: angela(AT)satyrseattle(.)com for consideration.**_

_**Any other inquiries can be sent to: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
**_

_Cullen Bros? _

My eyes nearly bulged out of its sockets. I let out a high-pitched yelp. "Oh my God," I said in disbelief.

Rosalie abruptly stood up. "Oh my God!"

"Oh my God!" I growled.

My whole demeanor changed in a flash. My fists clenched, and my sight became blurry and unfocused.

"Okay, wait, wait!" Rosalie exclaimed. "Cullen could be a relatively common last name. We don't know for sure." She pointed to something on the screen. "There. Click where it says 'Photo Gallery'."

Alice complied. Several photos of trampy women donned the page. She scrolled down, stopping at one picture.

"Shit!" Rosalie yelled.

There, on the screen, was Emmett and Edward posing for a picture with their arms wrapped around a beautiful brunette.

"Gross," Alice said. "They must be into that threesome thing."

A shudder ran through me. They seemed very affectionate with this woman. _Too_ affectionate.

I couldn't believe that Edward—Edward _Cullen_—was the owner of the lousy club across the street from ours. Now, I had one more reason to hate him.

"Well, that's that, then! No more Emmett Cullen for me," Rosalie concluded, pretending to dust off her hands as she walked away.

"Wait!" I stopped her. "Let's just hold on a second. We can use this to our advantage, ladies."

Alice and Rosalie both looked at me curiously.

I continued, "Well, Rose is dating Emmett and I'm—or will be—dating Edward. It's no lie that Satyr has slowly been stealing or customers. We're dropping down more and more by the week. Maybe if we can use them to figure out how they're doing it, then it could help our own club."

"Use them…romantically?" Alice asked.

"That's the only way I can see it. Especially with guys that think with their dicks," I quipped.

Rosalie smiled. "Maybe we can bring down their club from the inside."

"Ooh, I like this idea," Alice chimed in.

"Then we should just continue on with what we were going to do before," I suggested. I looked down at the website again, focusing on the Contact button. "Go back to the contact page, Alice."

Alice did so. "Okay, why?"

I reached over to her touch pad and moved the mouse to their email address, bringing up a blank email document.

"What are you doing?" Rosalie asked curiously.

I started typing.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: Nice Try  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Fri 3/9/10 5:20 PM**_

_**Howdy, Neighbor!**_

_**Trying to take all our customers, huh?  
**_

_**Insincerely,  
Touch&Go **_

X-X-X-X

"Bella, don't send that!" Alice exclaimed. "They'll try to find out who we are."

My finger hovered over the mouse, getting ready to send. "No they won't," I said, giggling. "They're not that bright, I assure you. Plus, how can they? It's not like our names are on our club's website, even though 'BAR' stands for Bella, Alice, Rosalie. But how can they possibly get that?"

"What about our employees?" Rose asked.

I thought for a moment. "We'll send out a memo telling them not to reveal any information about the owners of Touch&Go, otherwise it'll end in their termination." They both stared at me. "Sound good?"

Rosalie smiled. "I'm in."

"Me, too," Alice added.

"Good." I clicked down on the touch pad and sent the email.

X-X-X-X

A few hours later, we got ready and headed out the door. The plan was to arrive at Satyr later than we would normally arrive at a club. We had first made a pit stop at our own club to let our general manager, Marcus, know that we wouldn't be around. It was our first time leaving the club alone without our supervision, so we were a bit nervous, but we knew it had to be done eventually.

"Maybe I could run back over and check on things periodically?" Alice asked, as we walked across the street to Satyr, making sure to check for moving cars.

"Alice, if we don't leave our club now, we'll never leave. Let's just try to see how things run without all three of us there for one night. We deserve a little fun, after all," I said.

"You think Edward will bring back your phone?" Rosalie asked.

I snorted. "Who knows with that guy. I swear, I—"

"Ladies!" someone called out from behind us.

We turned around to see Jasper running across the street towards us. Alice practically beamed.

I smirked and put my hands on my hips. "Jazz, what are you doing here?" I was a bit worried that he had shown up. I couldn't concentrate on dealing with Edward if Jasper was tagging along with us, unaware of what I was trying to do.

He slowed down his pace, understanding that I was reluctant to see him. "Am I not supposed to be here or something?"

"YES!" Alice squeaked excitedly. Rose and I rolled our eyes. "I mean, yes, you can you be here." She looked over at us nervously.

Alice had had a huge crush on Jasper since she met him in college. She didn't see him too much—not until we all graduated and decided to go into business together. Jasper started coming to our club a lot and helping us get ready for the opening. Her mere crush soon developed into full on feelings as they got to know each other. The problem was that Jasper was completely oblivious to her affections. He, himself, liked her. I knew that for sure, but he felt a little intimidated. Why? I had no clue. Though I knew they liked one another, I wasn't one to pry. They would have to acknowledge each others feelings themselves. Rose and I both agreed on this and decided to just roll our eyes whenever the two would—again—avoid the obvious.

"Wait, no," I said to Jasper. "We're sort of having a girls night."

Jasper groaned. "I haven't seen you guys in days. I run into you at a café with Edward _Cullen_, and you don't even call me later to tell me how the hell you ran into him or what you were doing with him in the first place!" By the end of his rant, his voice had raised and he was nearly yelling.

"Shhh! Can you keep your voice down?" I spat.

Jasper lowered his volume. "So, what? Are you two dating? You know, your father would just about have a shit fit if he heard you were dating him."

Back in school, my father Charlie, would always warn me against the likes of 'Edward Cullen.' As the Chief of Police of our little town, Forks, Washington, he told me he'd always break up parties with underage drinking, and every time, Edward would be there with some new girl all over him.

"No, I'm not dating him, _Mom_," I said sarcastically.

He narrowed his eyes. "So then, what are you doing with him?"

"She's trying to—" Alice started to say.

I coughed loudly, interrupting her.

_Don't you dare!_ I thought, giving her an evil glare.

I didn't particularly want Jasper to know of my evil deeds. He had always been like a big brother to me, and I always felt guilty with him knowing half the things I did. Which was why, most of the time, I never told him.

"Trying to what?" Jasper questioned, looking at all three of us.

We just stood there, not saying a word.

"Ahh, I see. This is another one of your 'don't tell Jasper' secrets. One day, Bella…one day I'll find out what the hell it is you're always hiding," Jasper said.

I sighed. "I'm not hiding anything, Jasper. The truth is, Edward and I ran into each other and started talking. Mainly just catching up. That's all."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Are you meeting up with him tonight?"

"No," I lied.

Jasper continued to eye me but then softened his expression. "Alright, I believe you. But I really hope you're not going to see him anymore. He's bad news, Bella."

I rolled my eyes at him. Edward was practically a saint now compared to me!

"Uh, excuse me. I hate to break up this little, well, whatever it is—but I'd like to go inside now. So, if you'll just go away, Jasper, that'd be great," Rose said, motioning with her hand for Jasper to leave.

Jasper laughed. "God, okay. I can see I'm unwanted! I'll just go find something to do."

"Okay," I agreed, walking backwards as we began to enter the club. "I'll call you later."

Jasper started to walk back across the street. "That's what I thought you'd do last night!" he yelled out.

Just as we were about to walk through the doors next to the bouncer, a loud "Rose" was shouted from inside. We stopped in our tracks to see Emmett barreling towards us, looking frantic. He stopped right in front us, blocking the entry to the door.

"Emmett," Rose said. "Hey, what a…surprise."

Emmett looked confused for a second, then realization flashed across his face. "Oh! Yes, it's a coincidence that you're here…and I'm here…at this club."

I mentally slapped my forehead. Obviously Edward had told him we were visiting their club.

_Their club. _

_UGH! _

It still pissed me off that the Cullen brothers owned the one club that we wanted gone. Though Emmett seemed nice, he was still the reason our venue's customers were starting to disappear. I wanted to take him down, no matter how nice he was!

"So, what are you doing here, Emmett?" I asked innocently.

He shifted his eyes a bit. "Well, I'm here with my brother, Edward. He's around here somewhere."

We stood in silence for a couple moments. Emmett still hadn't moved to let us in.

I cleared my throat. "Well, can we get past you, please?" I asked, but not waiting for him to answer as I tried to move by him.

"Oh! Uhhhh," Emmett fumbled, stepping in front of me. "Hey! Why don't we all go out? I can get Edward and we can go eat or something. How does that sound?"

_Oh, brother…_

For whatever reason, Emmett did _not_ want us in that club. I liked a challenge though, and even though the main goal was just to see Edward, regardless of the location, I knew now that we had to get in, just to spite them.

Rosalie and Alice looked at me, asking with their eyes what we should do.

"Actually, Emmett, I think we're just going to hang out tonight. We already had dinner, so we'd like to relax with some drinks."

"Well, why don't we go to Touch&Go across the street?" Emmett asked.

"No!" Rose, Alice, and I shouted at the same time.

I lowered my volume. "No, we went there last night. We don't like to go the same place two nights in a row. I'm sure you know how it is," I explained.

Emmett nodded slowly, not offering any more arguments. I was starting to get fed up now and wanted to get inside.

"Well, it was nice seeing you," I said to him, then walked past him. He tried to block me again, but I was too quick for him.

"Well, well! What is going on here?" we heard from nearby. We turned our heads to see Edward walking over to us, smirking.

He had an air of confidence about him that made him even more attractive.

_Yes, Bella, we all know he's beautiful. Now, get with the program! _

I put on my biggest, phoniest smile ever. "Edward. How ironic."

He stopped in front of me, grabbed my hand and brought it up to his lips to kiss lightly. "Indeed." He looked over at Rose, nodding at her presence, then at Alice. "And who is this lovely lady?"

Alice blushed vividly, which caused me to inwardly cringe.

_Don't fall for his trap, hun_!

"This is my other best friend, Alice," I introduced quickly. I turned to the girls and nudged my head, indicating for them to follow me.

Edward still had a hold of my hand, so I twisted out of his grasp and moved past him. The three of us, finally, stepped fully into the club and took in our surroundings. On a Friday night, Touch&Go wasn't _nearly_ as busy as this. The dance floor and bar had people practically shoulder to shoulder.

I groaned loudly, knowing no one could hear me over the booming club music. I leaned in near Alice's ear. "What the fuck are these guys doing to get so much business?"

She looked at me with an unsure expression and shrugged.

It was then that I noticed Edward and Emmett had disappeared. I looked around briefly but couldn't spot them.

I let out an ugly snort. "Who the hell are they, Batman and Robin? They just disappeared on us!"

"Did you see the way Emmett was trying to block us from coming in?" Rosalie asked.

"Yeah, that was weird," Alice said. "Maybe they're hiding something."

"Maybe they're hiding a secret underground drug ring," I teased sarcastically.

We laughed as we made our way to a sitting area off to the side of the dance floor, taking a seat on one of the couches.

"Geez! Look at the knockers on some of the bar staff!" Rose exclaimed.

Sure enough, most of the bartenders had huge breasts with lots of cleavage and low cut tops. They might as well have just called the place, "Hooters" and been done with it.

"You think Emmett and Edward have slept with them all?" Rose asked.

I laughed. "If I know Edward, and I _think_ I do, these girls wouldn't be enough of a challenge for him. But, he's still a guy at the end of the day." I looked over at Rosalie who looked worried. "Don't worry, Rose. I think Emmett is really nice, even though he tried to trick us into leaving."

"Yeah, I hope so. Though, if he's the brother of Edward, I'm not sure how great he'd be. I'm probably just wasting my time," Rose said in defeat.

Alice intercepted. "Rose, I think it's worth giving him a shot. You never know. At least go out on a couple dates with him, then see. Everything doesn't have to be set in stone."

"You're right," Rose agreed. "Thanks." She looked around. "And where the hell are the waitresses? I need a drink!" She stood up and started to walk off towards the bar. "I'll be back with some booze."

Without realizing it, I began searching the crowd for a mop of messy bronze hair.

"You okay?" Alice asked.

"Hmm?" I said, caught off guard. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." I leaned back against the couch and crossed my legs. Alice followed suit.

"I'm sure he'll be back around," she assured.

I snorted. "Like I care, Alice."

"Okay, okay…" She put her hands up in surrender.

"Besides, I'm still in phase one," I admitted.

"Phase one?" she questioned.

"Yeah," I started. "I broke it down into five phases."

Rosalie came back with three drinks and sat down. "Those bitches didn't even know how to make a proper cocktail."

I grabbed one of the drinks that looked like orange, dirty water. "What the hell is this?"

"Whatever I thought the dumb blond bartender could make. It's just a screwdriver. Though, I had to literally say to her Vodka and Orange juice."

"Wait!" Alice interrupted. "I want to hear about these phases."

Rose snickered. "Oh, boy. The 'phases.'"

I cleared my throat, preparing to explain my ingenious scheme. "Phase one: act innocent, maybe aloof, yet all the while, being sexy," I explained. "Phase two: be what he wants."

"So, wait. You're going to pretend to be the kind of girl he wants?" Alice questioned.

"It's not any different to how I usually am with men," I said, taking a sip of my overtly strong screwdriver.

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to _know_ what he wants in a girl, as far as falling for her goes," Alice analyzed.

"Then I guess I'll just have to mold him to like me," I said with confidence.

_I have this in the bag…  
_

"Now, can I please finish telling you the phases?" I asked, annoyed. Alice didn't speak again, so I continued. "Phase three: make him fall in love with me."

"Make?" Alice questioned.

"Alice!" Rose and I exclaimed, irritated.

"What? I just think you need to be certain of what you're doing before messing with someone's head like that. You can't force him to fall in love with you," Alice explained.

"Fine. Maybe 'make' is the wrong word. Perhaps, 'influence' him to fall in love with me."

"Okay," Alice agreed. "Continue."

I rolled my eyes. "Phase four: have sex with him and then abandon him immediately. Phase five: watch him crash and burn."

Rosalie broke out into a laughing fit, but Alice wasn't as amused, giving me a pointed look.

"Okay, what's that looked for?" I asked Alice.

"Don't get me wrong. I understand what you're doing. But…isn't it a bit much? I mean, you're basically trying to ruin this unaware guy—"

I put up a hand to stop her. "You barely met the guy for all of one second and he had you blushing, am I correct?" She nodded. "He is dangerous, Alice. This guy has probably destroyed the hearts of countless women across the years. He's a self-assured bastard who thinks the universe revolves around only himself. _Someone_ needs to knock him off his pedestal, and that _will_ be me."

"I can vouch for Bella and say that he's definitely a douche, Alice. You should've seen him at the gym earlier, prancing around with his shirt off like he was fucking God," Rose added, laughing. Her eyes veered off to the side. "And speaking of Mr. Gym God himself…"

I looked around the club and saw Edward walking through the crowd of people, headed directly for us. His eyes locked with mine, which produced a big smile from him.

For an instant, I stopped breathing, unable to focus on anything else except his beautiful grin.

"Make us proud, Bella," Rose whispered in my ear, nudging me with her shoulder.

I quickly snapped out of my reverie, looked, and said, "You know I will."

I stood as Edward stopped in front of us. "Well, it's about time," I quipped playfully, making sure to add a sexy smirk.

_Phase one is going to be so much fun._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: So, the girls know about the guys owning the club and are scheming little minxes who want to use them to bring them down. Don't mess with these girls! What do you think could potentially happen if the Cullen Bros were to find out? **

**My beta noticed that Edward and Bella enjoy acronyms: KIT…BAR, and that this is why they're meant to be together. lol.. I briefly entertained the thought of having an acronym lemon later on. Haha kidding… or am I? **

**Also, someone in the HM thread was curious what Edward had said to Bella in Chapter 3 when she tunes him out. He has a few things that he has rehearsed, knowing that it gets a positive reaction out of his conquests. I posted an EPOV of this in the thread if you want to see.

* * *

**

**FORUM LINK: ****_www(DOT)twilighted(DOT)net/forum/viewtopic(DOT)php?f=44&t=8933_**

**TWITTER: xrxdanixrx**_  
_


	6. Rampant

**A/N: **

**I apologize for this being later than usual. I was waiting for my new fic to get validated over at Twilighted for me to be able to update my stories again. Ruuuuules = thumbs down. But I got tired/bored of waiting and decided to just update FFn till that gets solved. **

**Thank you's: As usual to the people who help me tremendously with my story/chapters, lexiecullen17, CatMasters, AngelStardust. A huge thanks to Brandy_D and fictor09 for their insight as well. And to everyone else who's been reccing this weird ass story.  
**

**Also, a huge shout out to the creators of Twi-Fic Promotions for their major rec's of this story. Follow their blog for reviews on new stories that have great potential.  
**_**twi-ficpromotions(.)blogspot(.)com**_

**/end unnecessarily-lengthy author's note.

* * *

**

**_Previously..._**

**Bella lays her plan out and separates it into five phases of Edward's torture. Currently, she's in phase one.**

**

* * *

**

**~*RAMPANT*****~  
*EDWARD***

"I gotta tell her."

"No!" I yelled louder than I meant.

Emmett and I were pacing our office, trying to think of how to handle this unforeseeable situation. We had thought it would be a cinch to get them away from the club before they even got in, but Bella had slipped from my grasp. After that, we had bolted away from them, scrambling to figure out what to do.

"Rose is going to find out by the end of the night, anyway."

"Just hold off telling her, will you? We have to get them out of here before they get too comfortable," I plotted. "You know, I blame you."

Emmett looked aghast. "Me? What did _I _do?"

"You were supposed to catch them outside, not half way through the door!"

"What the hell difference does it make?" he questioned.

I groaned at his idiocy. "Remember? You were going to chat with them outside, then I was going to pull up in my Vanquish and whisk them away."

Emmett let out a breath of air. "Why can't I just tell her? Who is it going to hurt?"

I was taken aback. "This is our _business_, Em. Chicks want to get involved and run this shit themselves. They mess everything up! Rose will probably want to add some flowery crap at the entrance, for God's sake!" I squinted at him in suspicion. "And why am I explaining this to you? We agreed on this a long time ago when we first decided to do the club. Now, all of a sudden, some hot woman comes along, gives you blue balls, and you want to tell her your whole life? How naïve are you?"

Looking annoyed, Emmett started to walk out the door. "I told you, I like her. And just for that, I'm going to tell her."

I groaned, walking after him. "You will_ not_ tell her. We are partners, and we have to compromise."

"Compromise this!" he exclaimed, giving me the middle finger.

I stopped in my tracks, watching him walk back out to the club. "You're gonna fucking pay for that! You're ruining everything!" I called out to his retreating back.

I stood there, fuming. Emmett was going to tell Rosalie, who would tell Bella, and then I'd have to deal with all these chicks getting into the mix of my personal life.

Yes, I considered business my personal life. I had nurtured and built up the club as if it were my own child. And I wasn't going to have any women—even as hot as they were—jeopardize that.

I angrily made my way back out onto the floor, looking around for any sign of long chestnut hair. I spotted Bella in the sitting area looking around eagerly. I inwardly congratulated myself at the fact that she was clearly wondering where I was. I had her right where I wanted her.

But then she had to go and lift her eyes up to mine—those big, brown, bottomless pits of chocolate that made me want to give her everything in the world.

I didn't realize that I was smiling when I stopped right in front of her, still not able to avert my eyes. "I own the club," I blurted out, rather awkwardly.

All three of the girls gasped, looking at me with confused and shocked expressions.

_D'oh! _

I mentally kicked myself a thousand different ways.

"You…own Satyr?" Bella asked, looking a bit taken aback.

A hand slapped against my back, causing me to jump.

"Hello, ladies. I hope Edward, here, has been entertaining you," Emmett said.

Rosalie stood up and kissed Emmett on the cheek. "Oh, yes. He has." She smiled cheekily. "You didn't tell me your brother owned this club."

I closed my eyes, willing her to not have just said that. Getting ragged on by Emmett was not something I was looking forward to.

When I opened them, Emmett was looking at me mischievously. "Oh, really?" he asked playfully. "I wonder why I'd forget to mention something like that! You know…that Edward owns this club." He chuckled and sat down, bringing Rose onto his lap.

He was really going to act as if I owned the club alone? "Emmett is my partner," I revealed.

The girls gasped again, looking at Emmett, though not seeming as shocked. Emmett narrowed his eyes at me.

"Wow," Bella said with a hint of a smile. "You boys must surely be busy then. I hope we're not keeping you."

"No…No," Emmett and I said out of sync.

"We have a manager who takes care of everything," Emmett told them. "And speaking of…"

I turned around to see our general manager that we had recently hired, walking up to us.

Angela cleared her throat nervously and shifted her eyes. "Hey…hot stud. There's something I'd like to…say to you…somewhere. Care to join me?"

I mentally smacked my hand against my forehead. I had told Angela that if she needed to speak to me or Emmett, she'd have to speak in some sort of code so that club goers wouldn't recognize that Emmett and I owned the place. I looked at Bella who had an eyebrow quirked.

Emmett snorted. "Angela, it's fine. You don't have to do all that anymore."

Angela, who clearly looked uncomfortable, exhaled. "Oh, thank goodness." She looked directly at me. "Do you think I can have a word with you?"

I nodded and looked at Bella, who was looking back and forth between me and Angela. "I'll be back. Please don't go anywhere."

"I can't promise you anything," Bella teased and sat back down.

I followed Angela away from them and into my office. I walked over to my desk, pulled out the swivel chair, and sat down.

"So," Angela started, closing the door behind her, "I just received a call from the Chairman of the Friends of Youth foundation, Peter Stone. He requested the club for a fundraiser he'd like to hold in a month. I know we don't do functions, as of yet, but we have the floor available during the day. The only thing is that they don't want to pay to use the space."

I put a finger on my chin. Peter Stone was an influential and wealthy Seattle resident who had his foot in a lot of the business pools around town. His wife, Charlotte Stone, was an A&R representative for Broken Records, a record label that promoted various types of music involved in the club scene. Having her as an ally could boost the club's revenue and business.

"We'll sponsor them," I said bluntly.

"Sir, we really don't have the funds—"

"Angela," I said sternly. "What did I tell you about calling me 'Sir'?"

When we had hired Angela, she had said her prior job was as an assistant for a hot shot CEO at a technology company. Apparently, he had made her call him "Sir," and she was never able to shake it.

"Sorry, Si—Edward."

"The club may not have the funds, but I do," I stated. I turned my chair towards the computer, moving the mouse so that the screensaver disappeared.

"Alright then, shall I book them in for one month's time?"

"Yes. And let Peter Stone know that he can call me directly if he needs anything else."

_Or Charlotte. I'm such a snake._

Angela nodded and exited the office.

Since I was already here and had some spare time, I decided to quickly check our emails. I scanned through all the junk mail, not even bothering to delete it. I froze when I caught sight of one particular email and opened it.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: Nice Try  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Fri 3/9/10 5:20 PM**_

_**Howdy, Neighbor! **_

_**Trying to take all our customers, huh?  
**_

_**Insincerely,  
Touch&Go **_

X-X-X-X

I snorted rather unattractively. Who the hell did they think they were trying to conjure up a fight with us? Yes, our clientele was growing, but that didn't mean we were _stealing_ them. Everyone had a mind of their own, and our club was clearly better than theirs. It was as simple as that.

I fervently typed out a reply to them.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: Nice Try  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Fri 3/9/10 9:46 PM**_

_**Well, well. As I live and breathe. Which one of the three bitter ninnies are you?**_

_**P.S Get used to us having more customers than you.  
**_

_**Affectionately,  
Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I knew they'd probably shut up after reading that. Maybe even take their stupid club elsewhere.

I snickered and pulled up our internet browser, quickly typing in their club's web address. A sophisticated website popped up with hardly any special graphics to brag about and absolutely no personality. I looked around to see if there were any pictures of the three tarts, but they offered nothing except club events and contact information.

"Probably a bunch of old cougars," I muttered to myself, quickly exiting and shutting off the computer. I stood up and stretched for a second. I caught sight of a light green phone on the desk.

I had brought Bella's phone with me, figuring I should probably give it back. I certainly entertained the thought of just keeping it forever and watching text messages roll in, invading her personal life, but I knew once she found out her phone was actually missing, the texts would stop. Plus, it was screwing with my head. Ever since I saw her damn phone, I'd been acting like an obsessed stalker.

It had to end.

I had to gain back some control. Some dignity. Tonight, I knew I had to make her succumb to my will.

Bringing Bella's phone with me, I walked back out onto the club floor. When I looked at where Bella had been before, I was shocked to find that she wasn't there. Scanning around, I saw Rose and Emmett standing by the bar, so I walked over to them.

"Have you seen Bella?" I asked both of them.

Miss Legs-with-an-attitude cast me a glare. "What's it to you?"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Emmett, knowing what I was about to say would piss her off. "Seriously man, I hope she's worth it in bed." I nudged my head towards Rose and then looked back out onto the dance floor.

"What?" she shrieked.

Emmett tried to calm her down. "Shh—shh. Rose, he's just…"

I had stopped listening to them when I caught sight of something truly hypnotizing—Bella…dancing by herself, and staring directly at me as if I were the only person in the room.

She swayed her hips slowly to the unhurried beat of the song. Her hands smoothed over her beautiful curves, making me wish mine were there instead. She dragged a hand up from her waist, grazing the side of her breast, and up to her elegant neck, closing her eyes and biting her rosy lip.

My breathing became erratic, and I knew… I had to touch her.

Now.

Her lust-filled eyes opened slowly. She arched an eyebrow, daring me to go to her.

Not taking my eyes off the stunning goddess, I shoved Bella's phone at Rose, not bothering to see if she had a good grip on it. "Hold this, Cruella."

"OH!" she barked. "That's it!" She started to bicker with Emmett, who was, again, trying to calm her down, but I wasn't listening.

My feet carried me over to the only girl I'd had my sights set on for the past twenty-four hours. When I reached her, she gave me a sly smile and lightly wrapped her hands around the back of my neck.

"About time, slugger…" she purred, giving me a sexy ass smile.

Unable to control myself, I grabbed her waist and roughly crashed it against mine. She let out a surprised yelp.

_Shit, Edward, get a hold of yourself! _

Her expression quickly faded back into lust, and our hips began to rock against each others, molding in time to the beat. I leaned my head in towards the side of her neck, and my lips hovered over the pale skin illuminated by the club lights above us. She shivered as I breathed against her skin. I slowly moved my mouth up to her ear, my nose grazing her lobe.

"I think you're trying to tease me," I breathed.

She moved her hands down from my neck and down my back to rest on my hips. "I would do no such thing," she said with a sly smirk.

I separated her legs with my knee, and she took the liberty of grinding herself against my thigh. If she couldn't feel how hard I was, I wanted to make her undoubtedly aware, so I slid my hands from her waist, down to her perfect, tight ass, and slammed her against my erection. She moaned loudly, and then looked surprised. I smiled at her, knowing the tables had been turned.

I was in control now.

She furrowed her eyebrows, and then looked directly at me. I was feeling quite triumphant, so I started to grope her ass, moving her torso against me to create the perfect friction.

Suddenly, she reached behind her and covered my busy hands with hers. She began to grope her own ass along with me, making me squeeze harder.

She then whispered in my ear, "I hope you don't mind, but I'm not wearing any underwear."

My eyes bugged out, and my stomach expanded as I sucked in a breath. I then realized that I hadn't felt any panty lines.

_Oh, shit…_

"Bella! We're going over to the VIP section, come on!" I heard someone shout somewhere in the distance.

In a flash, Bella let go of me and disappeared in the direction of the voice. My hands were still suspended in the air, forming the shape of her sweet ass that I had, no more than a second ago, been fondling.

I whipped around, trying to look for her.

"You might want to adjust yourself, bro."

I didn't have to look to know who was speaking to me. I groaned and took his suggestion.

"Are you coming?" Emmett asked.

I nodded and followed him into the VIP section where the three ladies were sitting. Bella hadn't even noticed my presence, which confused me.

"This is a really great club you have here," Alice said to us. "Which evening would you say is your busiest?" She reached up and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, taking her eyes off us.

"Tonight, usually," Emmett stated. "Saturday is really no different, as well."

I continued eyeing Bella, who was nodding at Emmett as if engrossed in what he said.

"So, you both run this place together equally?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, we invested the same amount of money into the club and co-signed the papers, so I'd say it's almost even," he said, chuckling.

Bella looked deep in thought.

_Why won't she look at me! _

I wanted her to at least acknowledge I was there. We had practically dry humped on the dance floor, yet it was like that hadn't even happened. If she didn't look at me soon, I was sure I was going to explode.

My knee began to bounce up and down fervently. It had always been a bad habit of mine when I was anxious.

_Christ, calm the fuck down, will ya? _

Bella then looked directly at me with her big, brown eyes. "What sort of crowds do you get here?"

I didn't even question why she would ask something like that. I couldn't seem to control my filter around her. "Mainly adults aged twenty-one to twenty-five.

"Predominately male or female?" she questioned.

"Both, though we're more inclined to have—"

"Okay!" Emmett interrupted. "How about we get you ladies more drinks."

"Sure," they said.

I was suddenly being dragged over to the bar.

"What was that?" Emmett asked me.

"Hmm?" I got out, my head still in a Bella-cloud.

"What is going on with you? First, you tell them we own the club when you practically _berated_ me not to. Then, you just go and tell them our demographics?"

I snorted. "Are you telling me you think they're after information from us about our business?"

Emmett shook his head. "No, they're harmless, but you never know who could be listening. You were right, we need to be careful."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring him. "Aren't we supposed to be getting them drinks?"

"Yeah… what do you think they'll want?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. Give them a bunch of girly shit."

Emmett guffawed. "I highly doubt Rose would like girly shit."

I grinned. "Then why don't we get a round of shots and then keep 'em coming?"

_Bella…drunk…perfect. _

If Bella were to get drunk, then maybe I'd get to see if she truly wasn't wearing any panties later.

"You really want the girls trashed? I thought you didn't like when a girl's easy."

I frowned. I had forgotten that I didn't want to jump into bed straight away.

_But I want to so bad! _

I groaned, knowing that the wait was better than having it easy. I would have to control myself till next Thursday. "Fine, just get them one shot each."

We walked back over to VIP, shots in hand. The girls were huddled together, speaking in hushed whispers, but as soon as we arrived in front of them, they quickly moved apart. Rosalie and Bella had blank expressions, but I noticed that Alice looked nervous.

We all grabbed a shot and did a silent toast. As I kicked back the smooth whiskey, I felt my nerves and anxieties start to dwindle. I brought the shot glass down and peeked over at Bella, who was staring intently at me. I raised an eyebrow, wondering what she was thinking.

"Let's dance," Rosalie said to Emmett, tugging him off to the dance floor.

Alice started to fidget on the sofa and then turned her body to Bella and whispered something. I could scarcely make out, "Alright, Bella. I can't take it anymore I have to go."

"Just sit still, you'll survive," Bella whispered back harshly.

"What if Marc—"

Bella cleared her throat and stood up, grabbing hold of Alice's hand and leading her away. She looked at my briefly. "I'll be back in a moment, Edward."

I nodded and sat down where she had been before. It felt warm, and I could smell a strong scent of vanilla…

"Sorry about that," Bella said, returning without Alice. "I swear, I think she has her monthly visitor." Bella looked momentarily stunned at her words.

I eyed her curiously. It was as if she kept having internal conversations in her head. I was dying to be able to listen in on them.

Bella brought up a hand in front of me, holding something. I had been staring at her face, so I hadn't noticed she had been carrying anything in her hand. I looked down and saw her green cell phone.

"Rose told me you had my phone," she said with a smug smile.

I only nodded.

"And why is that?" she asked.

I shrugged.

_What the fuck? Speak to her, you mute dick! _

I cleared my throat. "Yeah, you left it at my place by accident."

She grabbed my left hand and traced a finger in a circle on my palm. "Tell me…did you look inside my phone?"

I gulped. Did she know I looked? "No," I lied.

"Are you sure?" she goaded, staring deeply into my eyes.

I almost relented and told her that I peeked around shamelessly, but I quickly caught myself and my uncharacteristic behavior.

_Man the fuck up, Edward. _

I intertwined our fingers together. "I think the point is, you got it back." I grabbed the phone from her lap with my free hand, and pushed some of the numbers. "And now, you have my number," I said, winking at her.

It was always important to throw the ball in their court. They trust you quicker if you put yourself out there first.

"My lucky day," she said, grabbing it back.

Emmett and Rose came back to us, holding hands and laughing.

"We're heading out," Rose stated, gathering her belongings.

"It's only quarter till eleven," Bella noted.

"You'll be fine," Rose said, smiling at her.

I swear, just for a moment, I saw Bella shake her head no, but I figured I was just imagining it.

"You gonna be alright, bro?" Emmett asked me.

I chuckled. I didn't need hand holding to talk to a woman. "Yep, have a great time," I said, a little suggestively. I was betting that they were leaving to go screw.

As they walked away, Bella leaned into me. "They're so gonna do it," Bella said, just above a whisper.

I eyed her. "Yeah? How do you know?"

"I know Rose. She doesn't hold hands with a guy unless she plans on being intimate with them in the near future."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Why's that?"

She let out a little snort. "Because she says that holding hands is like foreplay. It apparently gets her going, if you know what I mean," she explained.

"And what about you?" I asked accidentally.

_Oh crap! Rewind! Rewind! _

She giggled. "I'm a little bit more controlled," she said and then winked at me.

Just as I was about to comment on that, she stood up abruptly.

"Well, Edward. It's been great, and thanks for the shot, but I better be heading out," she said, gathering up her things.

Wait! Why? No…why?

"Are you sure you can't stay?" I asked as she stepped around the table to leave.

"No, I have a lot to do tomorrow. But—hey, maybe I'll call you," she said nonchalantly, then walked away towards the exit.

Just as she was about to step outside, she turned around, looking straight at me, and gave me a smug smile.

My mouth dropped.

_She's playing games! _

I wanted to stomp up and down. I always despised women who played games. That was _my_ job!

_Then why am I so turned on right now? _

And damn, I was so fucking horny.

I quickly walked to the exit to see if I could catch her, maybe try to turn on the charm and get her to stay a bit longer, but as I walked out, I saw her walking across the street and then into Touch&Go.

I practically growled.

So, she wasn't going home, but instead, to the stupid club across the street? What was so wrong with my club that she didn't even want to stay?

_More games, perhaps? _

I couldn't seem to figure her out, but I'd make damn sure that I did, and soon.

As I stepped back into the club, my thoughts swam with visions of my main goal for the end of next week:

Bella under me.

X-X-X-X

The next morning, I was awoken by my phone ringing. I sleepily slammed a hand onto my nightstand to grab it.

"Hello?" I croaked out, yawning.

"Well, hello there, tiger."

My eyes went wide at the sound of the sweet, feminine voice. "Bella?" I asked.

"Nope, it's your mom,"

I snorted. "Well my mom doesn't call me at…" I looked over at my clock, which read 12:50 p.m. I had accidentally slept in till noon. "…nevermind. Are you giving me a personal wake up call?"

"Yes, Sir. And I'd also like to clean your room and turn down the sheets," she teased.

_Oh, I'll let you turn down the sheets, all right. _

And then I was hard.

"Well, I'm sure that can be arranged," I said suggestively.

She was silent for a moment. "Nah, I changed my mind."

I chuckled and shook my head. "You are quite the tease, you know that?"

"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about," she said with mock innocence.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your beautiful voice?" I asked, laying it on real thick.

"Well, I thought since I skipped out on you last night so abruptly, that I'd call you and sneakily give you my number."

I could hear giggling in the background.

"What's that?" I questioned.

The phone started to rustle around. "Those are just my roommates."

Perfect. What a great interlude into finding out where she lived. Maybe I could swing by today.

"Oh really? So, where do you live?" I asked slyly.

"Around."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Where's 'around'?"

"Here," she said.

_Ladies and Gentleman, we have a talker. _

I rolled my eyes. "And where exactly is 'here'?"

"Close to nearby."

She wasn't going to budge, so I gave up…for now. "Sounds wonderful."

She giggled. "It is," she said. "Well, I better go. Talk to you later."

"Hopefully sooner than that" –the line went dead— "beautiful…"

I groaned, snapping the phone shut.

_This one is a piece of work. _

Getting out of bed, I stretched and walked out of my room. I was greeted by an almost naked Emmett, sitting on the kitchen bar stool, eating a banana. He nodded, acknowledging my presence.

I let out a sound of disgust. "Put some clothes on, man," I demanded. "And could you not eat a banana while you're nearly naked."

He rolled his eyes. "Stop having gay thoughts."

I snorted and walked into the kitchen. "You're the one shoving a banana down your throat."

He ate the remainder of it and then tried to throw the peel over the counter and into the trash, but he missed by a long shot.

"Idiot," I muttered. "So, did Rose enjoy your banana?" I laughed at my own lame joke.

"My _banana_ didn't make an appearance last night."

I shook my head. "You went another night without getting her in bed?"

He shrugged. "Maybe later."

"Alright," I began. "What's going on with you?"

"What? I like her," he stated.

"This isn't like you though," I noted.

"Just like you blurting out everything about our club last night?" he pointed out. "You really made an ass of yourself."

I turned and opened the fridge. "It's part of the plan," I lied.

"Ah, right, this week's star of your show…Bella."

"Exactly."

"Well, good luck with that," he said sarcastically, getting up and walking into his bedroom.

I knew now that if I did get Bella in bed—and I would—she'd be my biggest conquest yet.

And I couldn't wait.

* * *

**A/N: *rolls eyes* Schemeward has absolutely no clue. I have nothing fancy shmancy to say, so you guys can do it for me… in your reviews. :-)

* * *

**

**Hate Me Forum link: ****_www(.)twilighted(.)net/forum/viewtopic(.)php?f=44&t=8933_**  
**Twitter: ****xrxdanixrx**_  
_


	7. Duplicity

**A/N: **

**Thanks to my newest beta, Brandy_D, who is super quick! Check out her story I love "Your Ugly Duckling…My Bella Swan" Also, regular thank you's to my other beta lexiecullen17, CatMasters, and AngelStardust.  


* * *

**

_**Previously...**_

**Edward spills the beans about owning Satyr, and Bella is proving to be more of a challenge.**

* * *

**~*DUPLICITY*~  
*BELLA***

I shut my phone and placed it on top of the desk in our office. I exhaled slowly. "That was close."

Alice, who had been standing over my shoulder the entire phone conversation, took a seat on top of the desk. "What'd he say?"

I shook my head. "Nothing too bad. He just tried to find out where I live."

Rosalie snorted. "That sly bastard. I bet he'd try to casually drop by."

I brought my legs up on the desk. "That's exactly what he'd try to do."

"If he finds out who we actually are…" Alice trailed off, worried.

"Don't worry. He won't. Our business is safe, Alice. Trust me."

"I know," she said, "but he seems to be a little relentless."

"Trust me; I'm smarter than him. He won't find out a thing," I assured.

I looked at the computer screen quickly and saw I had an email notification. Seeing who it was from, I groaned and opened it.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: Nice Try  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Fri 3/9/10 9:46 PM  
--**_

_**Well, well. As I live and breathe. Which one of the three bitter ninnies are you?**_

_**P.S Get used to us having more customers than you.  
**_

_**Affectionately,  
Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

"Wow…" I said, laughing harshly. "Talk about an ego."

The girls looked over my shoulder to read it.

Alice gasped. "I told you this was a bad idea!"

"Relax! It's fine. He's just trying to bully us."

"Are you saying you think that's Edward and not Emmett?" Rose asked.

"Of course it's Edward," I said angrily.

"Yeah, but you don't know for sure," Rose said.

I barely heard her as I began typing out a reply, roughly pressing the computer keys.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: Nice Try  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Sat 3/10/10 1:22 PM  
--**_

_**The one who'd be willing to book you in for a neutering with the local veterinarian.**_

_**P.S The tables will turn sooner than you think.  
**_

_**Unaffectionately,  
Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

Rosalie laughed. "That's perfect. Lord knows, the world might be a better place with that dog neutered."

I looked over at Alice, who looked deep in thought. "Oh, come on, Alice. This is funny!" I tried to assure her.

"I guess so," she said. "I really hope you know what you're doing."

I groaned. "Yes, yes. I—"

An email notification popped up on the screen, interrupting me.

"You think that's him?" Rose asked.

If that were Edward, that'd mean he was at the club right now.

I anxiously opened the message.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Nice Try  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Sat 3/10/10 1:24 PM  
--**_

_**Dear Ninnie #1,  
**_

_**Unnecessary. All I have to do is look at you and my balls will automatically fall off.**_

_**P.S Are you threatening to take my customers? Because I find that laughable.  
**_

_**Forever yours,  
Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

"Forever yours?" Rose asked.

"He's just trying to be cynical," I said.

"Geez, you seem to know him pretty well," she commented.

"I just know how he works."

I laughed as an idea came to me.

"I can't watch this anymore," Alice whined with her hands on her face, before walking out of the office.

"She's such a stickler," Rose said. "I'll be back." She walked out the door, following Alice.

Turning back to my email, I replied.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Nice Try  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Sat 3/10/10 1:27 PM  
--**_

_**Don't flatter yourself. I was speaking metaphorically. I already know you don't have balls…or anything there, for that matter.**_

_**P.S Can't step up to the challenge?  
**_

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

I quickly reread what I wrote and then sent it. Grabbing my phone, I dialed Edward's number.

He picked up on the second ring and cleared his throat. "Hello?"

"Hello there, Edward," I said, trying to sound seductive.

"Bella…hi," he breathed. "Couldn't wait to talk to me again, huh?" He chuckled.

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. Actually, I was calling to see if I could take you out tomorrow evening?" I asked.

I heard his email notification go off in the background.

"Uhh, can you hold on for a minute, Bella?"

"Mmmhmm," I hummed.

The phone rustled around, and I could hear him groan, then furiously type. I had to bite my lip to hold back my laughter.

"Okay, back," he grumbled.

"You okay? You sound tense," I said, fully aware that I was the reason he was grumpy.

"No, I'm fine. Just work stuff."

"Like what?" I asked, pushing my limits.

"Oh, you know, the occasional inferior competition," he said.

I narrowed my eyes, wishing I could go across the street and really show him who was inferior.

"So… you're asking me out on a date?" he asked with humor in his tone.

"Yep, my treat."

"Your treat?" he questioned. "No, I won't let you pay."

"Then no date," I reiterated.

An email notification popped up on my screen with a loud noise.

_Shit! _

I quickly turned down the volume of the speakers, but it was already too late. Hopefully he hadn't heard.

"What was that?" he asked.

_Think of something! _

"Uhhh, that was just Alice making weird noises," I said.

"That sounded like something from a computer."

_Fuck a duck…_

"Yeah, she's on her laptop."

He was quiet for a moment. "Ah, okay…so about that date…"

I let out a quiet sigh of relief and then clicked the email.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: Game On  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Sat 3/10/10 1:34 PM  
--**_

_**Oh, I have balls, baby. If you'd like to stop by my office and see, you certainly can.**_

_**P.S Of course I can step up to the challenge. I look forward to seeing your club empty.  
**_

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

"Asshole," I said out loud, unconsciously.

"What?"

My eyes went wide at the realization of what I had just said. "I said… hassle."

"Hassle?" he questioned.

"Yeah… if it's not too much of a _hassle_ for you, I'd like to take you out and pay," I recovered, exiting the email. It was too much of a distraction.

He chuckled. "Okay, you can take me out."

"And pay," I made sure to add.

He exhaled into the phone. "How about we just see about that last part."

"Nope."

"Fine. It's a date, then," he said. "Well, I better go. I'm at the club right now and have to get some work done."

"Sure, I'll let you go," I said.

"It's much too hard to let _you_ go, though," he crooned.

I nearly gagged.

"Goodbye, Edward," I said, giggling a little, then hung up on him.

The rest of my Saturday was spent knee deep in bills for the club. After all, I did have actual important things to do, other than just screw around with Edward—even though the screwing around was much more enjoyable than giving away the club's hard earned profit.

As the night drew closer, I finally wrapped everything up and noticed that we were about to open. I wasn't particularly dressed for the occasion, but I was always prepared. We put a small closet in the office that contained some quick sexy clothes and heels. I also had my stash of underwear in the bottom drawer of the desk, which I had utilized after my most recent romp with that Mark guy…Mike—whatever.

In no time, I was dressed and headed out of the office and to the bar counter. The staff was organizing themselves and preparing for the doors to open. I spotted my general manager, Marcus, walking over to me after speaking briefly with a bartender.

"Marcus," I acknowledged with a single nod.

"Good evening, Bella," he greeted. "I take it you'll be staying for the evening?"

I smiled. "Don't I always?"

He chuckled and busied himself with setting some stools down from on top of the bar. "Last night you didn't."

"Last night was…special, I suppose," I said.

"How so?"

I helped him place a couple of stools on the floor. "The girls and I really needed a night out."

"Work stressing you out?" he asked, worried.

I smiled and clapped a hand on his back. "Hopefully not as much anymore, which is why we hired you," I said.

I let him finish up the stools, and I decided to relax for a minute or two in the VIP lounge. But when I turned around, I came face to face with a pair of narrowed bright blue eyes.

"Holy crap, Jasper!" I exclaimed, startled.

He cleared his throat, but he didn't reply. He usually did that when he was pissed at me and knew that the silent treatment was an effective way of making me aware of his agitation.

I took a step back from him. He had his arms crossed over his chest and refused to blink.

"Oh, come off it, Jazz," I whined, annoyed. "What's up your ass?"

He cleared his throat again.

"I'm not in the mood for your coughing game! Just tell me what I did and how I can fix it," I huffed.

He dropped his arms but continued glaring at me. He literally hadn't blinked for sixty seconds. I briefly considered calling the Guinness World Records.

"You didn't call," he stated.

I rolled my eyes. "Jazz, can you do me a favor?" I asked innocently.

His expression softened. "Yeah, what is it?"

"Can you really quickly look down your pants?"

His hands almost made a move to his pants, but then he placed them behind his back. "Wait…why?" he inquired suspiciously.

"Because I'm starting to question if you're a girl, _Jasmine_."

He pointed a finger at me. "Hey! I told you never to call me that again," he snapped.

Jasper had always been more sensitive when it came to feelings than me. So, whenever things got to him, I'd remind him to man up by calling him Jasmine, as it was the closest sounding feminine name to Jasper. Who would ever willingly name their kid Jasper, anyway?

I giggled like a raging lunatic and walked towards the VIP lounge.

"You didn't respond to what I said!" he called out, following me.

"I am so very sorry I forgot to call you last night," I said sarcastically sweet, batting my eyelashes. I sat down on the couch.

"You usually call me. What's going on?" he asked, sitting down next to me.

_Edward Cullen is going on. _

"Nothing much," I said coolly.

"Right, right. The secrets thing again," he commented and leaned back against the couch.

I angled my body towards him. "Honestly, Jazz. The girls and I went out last night, we had fun, and then I was too tired to call you. I figured you'd be okay with it."

I had honestly just forgotten, but I wouldn't tell him that.

He took on a worried expression. "Well, I hope you're alright. Are you tired now?"

_Sucker…_

Since we were kids, Jasper had always thought I could do no wrong. Perhaps innocent high school Bella was permanently etched in his mind. Anything I did that was in the least bit naughty, he'd write it off and go back to thinking I was an angel. And, for some reason, I actually liked that he thought of me that way. So, it had become a bad habit to lie to him often. I felt guilty most of the time, since I really cared for him like a brother, but at the same time, it was a thrill.

"No, I'm good," I replied.

"So…" he trailed off. "Where's Alice?"

"Probably wondering why you haven't asked her out yet," I said bluntly, looking at my nails.

He shook his head. "Liar."

I threw my hands up in the air. "When are you going to get it through your thick skull that she likes you?"

"She hasn't shown any signs of liking me."

I had to laugh. He was completely oblivious. "Have you not noticed how shy and nervous she gets around you?"

"She's always been like that," he stated.

"That's because she's always liked you!" I exclaimed.

Jasper got very quiet, and I knew that he was mulling over what I said.

"Are you going to ask her out or what?" I asked.

He looked at me, frightened, and shook his head.

I groaned.

Jasper had never asked a woman out in his life because he was too shy. He'd always been the type to date girls who sought him out and knew what they wanted. This was the first time that he had actually liked a woman who was as equally shy as him. It would probably take a miracle to get those two together.

"So, what's Cullen up to lately?" Jasper asked.

My eyes went wide at the unexpected change in subject. "Uhhh…he's up to…things," I said nervously.

"Like what?" He brought his ankle up to rest on his knee and draped an arm over the back of the couch.

"I don't know…he told me that he and his brother are in business together, but I'm not sure what," I lied.

"He has a brother?" he questioned.

I snorted. "I know, right?"

Back in high school, Jasper and I were the types of kids that never involved ourselves in the social aspect of school. We were in the ripped up jeans, plaid shirt wearing crowd. And by crowd, I meant just Jasper and me. We hung out with no one else but each other for the entire four years.

We met on the first day of our freshman year in a shared art class. We had been paired up to draw each other's portraits, and he did a lousy job on mine because he, by accident, gave me a unibrow. He had erased and redrawn my eyebrows so many times, that the area had permanent black smudges, giving the effect of a bushy unibrow. We bickered the rest of the class about him starting over, and years later, we had never stopped.

"So, are we still on for tomorrow?" Jasper asked.

_Crap! I completely forgot._

Every Sunday, Jasper would usually come over and we'd watch Family Guy and the Simpsons. We never missed a Sunday.

"I'm sorry, Jazz. I actually have plans…" I said.

"Plans?" he queried. "What sort of plans?"

Instead of answering, I fidgeted on the couch.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed angrily. "Cullen. Am I right?"

_How did he know?!_

"Why do you assume I'm doing anything with him?"

"Because ever since I saw him with you the other day, you've been acting all funny! You don't call me, you freaked out when I showed up to see you last night, and now you're bailing on our Sundays."

"Sundays? It's just one Sunday!" I reiterated.

"You're right…because by next week, you'll be tossed out like every other girl of his. Do you not remember how he treated girls in high school?"

"Maybe," I said casually.

He sat up and grabbed my hands, worry lining his expression. "Don't, Bella. Please don't date him. You're way too unscathed, and he'll ruin that."

_He already did. _

I squeezed Jasper's hands and placed them back in his lap. "I assure you, I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, and I can handle myself."

"So, you _are_ dating him?"

I sighed. "We're not really dating. We've just been hanging out a little, that's all."

"And…you haven't…?"

"No!" I barked and cringed. I couldn't believe he thought I'd have sex with Edward so quickly!

Jasper exhaled. "Good. Don't even go near him. I suggest a chastity belt of some sort."

I chuckled. "Thanks for the tip."

"Jella!" someone yelled nearby. Jasper and I both turned to see Rose walking towards us.

"Stop calling us Jella!" I scowled.

She flopped down onto the couch next to us. "Well, your other choice is 'Basper,' and that's no fun. There's also the option of using your full name and calling you 'Jizzabella,' which I might consider," she said with a cheeky snicker.

"That's disgusting. And you're forgetting another option, which is just to not call us any of that," Jasper remarked.

"Nah," Rose said. "But we all know you could have another combined name with someone _else_, if you just grew some balls."

Jasper groaned and stood. "Alright, I'm outta here." He looked down at me. "You'd better make it up to me for missing our Sunday."

"Yeah, yeah," I said, waving him off jokingly.

"Wait!" Rose exclaimed. "Don't you want to know where Alice is?"

We both nodded, but Jasper's head looked like it was having convulsions.

"She's at home covered in a pile of tissues," she revealed.

"What? Has she been crying?" I asked.

"No, she's sick."

"When did that happen? When I saw her earlier, she was fine," I stated.

Rosalie shrugged.

"Hmm," Jasper mused. "Maybe…I'll go see her. You know, just to make sure she's all right."

"You do that, Jasper," Rosalie said.

Jasper waved to us and left.

"Yeah…" Rose said after he was fully out of sight, "she's not really sick."

I gave her a devilish smile. "Well played, Rose."

She laughed. "I know. I was tired of watching them dance around each other, not facing their feelings head on. At least it'll force them to talk, even if it's just Jasper fumbling over his words and asking her why she's not actually sick."

"You're right. It's better than nothing," I assured with a grin.

X-X-X-X

The next day, I got up earlier than usual, so I went into the kitchen and made a big breakfast with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. I had just finished the last pancake when I heard a door slam.

"I smell something good."

Alice came into the kitchen and looked over my shoulder at what I was doing.

"Go ahead and take some," I suggested.

"Don't mind if I do!" she said happily, grabbing a plate and stashing food on it.

Rosalie suddenly stalked into the kitchen, grumbling. "Ugh. I wanna vomit. I don't understand how you guys can eat breakfast at seven in the morning. It's way too early."

"Not everyone likes to sleep in until 11 a.m. and then have breakfast at noon, Rose," I pointed out to her.

"Well, excuse my ass then," she said, making herself some coffee.

My phone began to vibrate, and I saw that I had a new text message.

_**Still on for tonight? **_

_**-Edward**_

I smiled and wondered what he was doing up so early on a Sunday. I wrote back.

_**Of course. I'll pick you up at 6.**_

_**-Bella**_

"Your loverboy?" Rose questioned, eyeing my cell phone.

I replied by narrowing my eyes at her.

My phone suddenly rang, startling me. I wondered who could be calling so early, and when I checked the ID, I didn't know whether to be cocky or mildly angry. Who on earth would call someone at seven in the morning?!

"Hello there," I said into the receiver.

"Hi._ You're_ picking _me_ up?" Edward asked.

I mentally groaned. "Yes, is that a problem?"

"You got your way with the paying, but now you want to pick me up? This isn't even a date!" He actually sounded angry.

"How is it not a date?" I asked, getting annoyed.

"Well, _I_ should be paying. And _I _should pick you up. Not the other way around," he said quite pompously.

Was he suggesting that the only way for it to qualify as a date was for him to take on the date responsibilities? Wasn't that a bit chauvinistic?

_Dick._

"Well, I told you that it was either my rules or no date. So, if you prefer the latter, then—"

"No! That's not what I meant. I just want our date to be special," he admitted quietly.

"And it's less special with me taking you out?"

He didn't answer for a few moments. "No…it's not."

"Then relax, Cullen," I suggested.

"That's weird. I don't remember telling you my last name…did I?"

_Oh, you've done it now, Bella._

"You mentioned it once," I scrambled.

"I did?" he questioned. "Oh, well…okay. I don't know your last name, though."

My mouth fell open. I hadn't even considered the last name issue. If he knew my last name, he'd know for sure who I was. There was no doubt about it. How many people actually had "Swan" as their last name?

I quickly got Rosalie and Alice's attention and motioned for them to help me. Alice started banging random things around the kitchen.

"Crap! Can you hold on, Edward? My roommates are destroying the kitchen," I said hastily and pressed mute. Alice stopped moving and the kitchen fell silent. "Wow. I think I may be screwed."

For the first time since I started messing with Edward, I began to have doubts. He would absolutely know who I was if my last name were revealed. Not to mention, he could look me up and potentially find out I owned Touch&Go.

"What happened?" Rose asked.

"He's going to want to know my last name," I said.

"So, make one up," Rose stated. I looked at her wary. "He'll never question its validity. Come on, we'll think of one now."

I sighed. "Fine."

"What about something plain Jane like 'Johnson' or 'Thompson'?" Rose offered.

I shook my head. I refused to be plain.

"Well," Alice started confidently. "How about 'Stork'? Swans and storks are not only in the same kingdom but also the same phylum _and_ class. Plus, I once knew a guy named Hubert Stork and—"

"Good enough," I interrupted, and unmuted my phone. "Edward?"

"Yeah, I'm here," he said.

"Sorry. My roommates aren't very domesticated."

"And you are?" he asked.

I quirked an eyebrow, taking in what he was asking. I couldn't deny that I was a homebody. Cooking had always been something I enjoyed, and as for cleaning and keeping everything organized, I wasn't against it.

A sudden idea slithered its way into my brilliant brain. "I guess you could say that…Anyway, what were we talking about?" I asked absentmindedly.

"Your last name," he said simply.

"Oh, right. It's Stork," I told him. "Well, I better go. I'll pick you up at six," I said quickly and hung up on him. I looked directly at Rose and Alice. "Change of plans."

"What?" Alice asked.

"I was going to take him out, but I've decided to go into phase two tonight," I said as I opened the fridge and peered inside. I slammed it shut after a moment of searching unsuccessfully. "Damn, we have nothing. I'll need to go to the store."

"If you're going, can you buy me tampons?" Rosalie asked.

"I just bought a whole new box."

"I'm not using yours! You like those super sized ones, and I just need the regular sized," she said.

"Fine," I grumbled and looked at Alice. "Anything for you?"

"I'll come with you, I need a few things," Alice said and walked out of the kitchen.

After getting showered and dressed, we made our way to the store in separate cars. Alice had an appointment at a spa and needed to go straight there after she got whatever she needed.

As we walked down the aisles and added items to our cart, I noticed Alice was hardly talking.

"You okay?" I asked while picking out some potatoes.

Alice refused to look at me. "Yeah, why?"

I decided to cut to the chase. "Did something happen last night with you and Jasper?"

She cleared her throat. "We may have almost kissed."

I smiled, picking a couple grapes and eating them. "That's great! But 'almost'?"

She gasped. "You can't do that! Don't eat those," she whisper-yelled, trying to take the grapes from me.

"Oh, come on. Everyone does this. And don't avoid the question," I said, grabbing even more grapes and popping them into my mouth with a smile.

She groaned. "Well, he came over cause he thought I was sick for _some_ reason," she said, giving me the stink eye.

"Hey, don't look at me. That was all Rose."

"Anyway," she began. "He came in, and we talked about nothing in particular. Then at one point, he just came up really close to my face and started to lean in, but then a second later, he just ran out!"

I stopped in my tracks, holding the grape up to my mouth. "You're joking."

She shook her head.

I wasn't sure whether to crack up or hunt Jasper down and kick him in the balls. "Have you talked to him since?"

"No, I don't plan on it anytime soon, either."

"Alice, you need to talk to him."

"No," she said, walking away from me.

I followed her with my cart, nearly running over an elderly man. "Alice!" I called out as I reached her, heading over to the check out counter. "Do you want me to call him?"

"Absolutely not!" she barked. "Just leave it. I'm guessing he just realized what a mistake it would've been."

"Mistake?" I questioned.

"He clearly doesn't like me, Bella. It's fine. I'm over it," she said. "Anyway, I need to get going." She grabbed what she needed out of my cart and stood in line. "I'll see you at home."

I didn't really know what to say to her. I knew Jasper liked her, but I couldn't decipher his behavior. So, I left her there at the check out counter and made my way into the aisle that carried tampons. Once I got them, I went to the aisle next to it and looked through the herbs and spices.

I was picking out some pepper, when I heard some odd shuffling and heavy breathing. Looking around, I spotted no one in the aisle, so I picked out my pepper and walked further down. I found some basil and debated whether I needed it or not but stopped my deliberation when I heard a loud crash and the sound of someone cursing.

"Watch where you're going!" a man shouted in the aisle next to me.

I pushed my cart out of the aisle and stopped right in front of the next one. I gaped at what I saw.

Standing in the middle of the aisle was Edward, looking flustered and holding a bag of diapers.

"Edward?" I called out.

* * *

**A/N: What's in store for our dear Bella Stork and her diaper holding pet project, Schemeward? Guess you'll have to keep reading. ;-) **

**Insight: Some of my readers picked up on a little continuity error, which made me laugh. So, the panty drawer is dedicated to you guys.  
**

**

* * *

**

**Hate Me Forum Link: ****_www(.)twilighted(.)net/forum/viewtopic(.)php?f=44&t=8933_****  
Twitter: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**I need to do a quick little rec here. If you haven't read All Cried Out by Hannah81, you MUST. It's almost done and I'm probably going to cry because I've never been so invested in a twi-fic as much as this. I know ACO isn't really in the same vain as Hate Me, but Hannah is my VBeta over at Twilighted, so I had to show her some love. **


	8. Shadow

**A/N:**

**I'm so glad you guys are enjoying Bella's POV's. Many times a story will have both POV's, but only Edward's will be the one people truly want. It seems like it's sort of equal for this story. **

**Thanks to the usuals-- Beta: Brandy_D, Pre-readers: CatMasters and AngelStardust.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**We left the last chapter with Bella running into Edward, holding diapers.

* * *

**

**~*SHADOW*~  
*EDWARD***

I threw my phone on the couch in anger after speaking to Bella.

"She hung up on me again!" I yelled, flinging my hands up in the air.

Emmett guffawed and turned on the news.

"It's not funny," I spat. "Somehow I got wrangled into _her_ taking me out on a date, _her _paying, and now she wants to pick me up, too?"

"So, what's the big deal?" he asked in a trance as he watched _Your Business_ on MSNBC. "If she wants to pay and all that shit, then let her."

I scowled. The idea of that was blasphemous. I had _never_ allowed a woman to do anything other than show up to the date. This didn't anger me just because I was a gentleman, but because it hadn't been any other way before!

I'd meet the girl, take them out, do most of the work in seducing them and making them feel special, sleep with them, and then that was it! How would my plan work if Bella was doing _my_ job?

_I don't like this at all_, I grumbled to myself.

Emmett turned off the TV and went to the computer to switch it on.

"Oh, and her last name is Stork," I revealed.

He snorted. "Weird ass name…" he muttered, and sat down at the computer desk.

"Hey…Google Bella Stork for me," I demanded.

He moaned in agitation and typed. "Nothing much comes up, just some embroidery scissor shit," he said. "Oh hey…this looks cool—"

"Never mind that!" I interrupted. "Check Facebook."

He obliged. "Nope. Nothing. Except some guy named Hubert Stork," he said with a half-snort, half-laugh. "He lives in the area, actually."

I sat up straighter. "You think he might be her brother or something?"

"Nah, Bella's way too hot to be _his_ sister. This loon has the whole nerd thing going on. Bifocals, pocket protector, and everything." Emmett laughed. "He's a fan of The Big Bang theory."

"The show?" I asked.

"No, the actual theory," he said, laughing and shaking his head.

"Well, all of that doesn't mean that she's not related to him." I got up and tried to push him out of the seat. "Move," I commanded.

"Hey! Get lost!" he exclaimed and held onto the edge of the desk, tipping the chair over a little.

"I want to send him a message! Move!" I yelled in irritation, trying to push him with my shoulder.

He shoved me and I stumbled back a little. Emmett was much stronger than me, unfortunately. "I can do it, you prick," he growled. "Just tell me what to say."

I groaned and relented. "Okay, ask him if he's related to Bella Stork."

Emmett typed dramatically. "Done, your majesty," he quipped. "Now, can you leave me the fuck alone and stop hovering over my shoulder?"

I rolled my eyes and stood up straighter. I was suddenly bored and didn't know what to do with myself. My "date" with Bella wasn't until later, and I had a whole eleven hours or so to kill.

"If you want to make yourself useful," Emmett said, "you can get the groceries. I did it last Sunday."

"Yeah, fine," I muttered, and got the grocery list off the fridge. I looked at the list, which wasn't very long, and noticed something was off. "You didn't put down condoms. Want me to add it?"

"No, I'm good," he said casually.

I furrowed my brow, but didn't feel like questioning it at the moment. I picked up my keys and wallet, and then ran my fingers through my untamed hair. I probably looked like crap, but I didn't care.

When I arrived at the grocery store, they were just opening, so hardly any people were there. I didn't grab a cart or a basket because we only needed a few things.

A skinny young stock boy walked by me, and I stopped him. "Excuse me. Where can I get Cap'n Crunch?" I asked.

He shot me an annoyed look. "Right in front of you," he snapped, gesturing to the many boxes of cereal at the beginning of an aisle, then stalked away.

_Stupid emo kid… _

I was just about to grab it, when my phone rang.

"Hello?" I didn't even bother to check the ID.

"I want you," a breathy voice answered.

I knew exactly who it was. "Irina," I acknowledged.

"Where are you?"

"I'm at the grocery store," I answered.

"I'll come there then," she said seductively.

My eyes widened. "In a grocery store?"

Irina and I had fucked in some crazy places. She definitely loved the thrill of almost getting caught. The oddest place we ever screwed was in a cemetery at 4 a.m. on top of someone's grave. I apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Davis afterwards.

I was certainly feeling a bit wound up from my early morning phone call and needed the release, but I didn't feel like risking it in a grocery store. "I don't think I'm up for the public thing this time."

"Then come over," she offered. "I'm still in bed, anyway."

I thought for a moment. "Well, I guess I could swing by and…" I trailed off as I looked through the shelves and spotted a wisp of chestnut hair one aisle over. "Gotta go, bye." I hung up the phone.

I quickly ran to the back of the aisle and tried to hide behind a display of various sodas. When she stepped into the aisle and grabbed something off the shelf, I was stunned. It was early in the morning, yet she looked heavenly with her hair tied up in a loose bun, small strands of hair framing her face. I needed to get closer, but I didn't want her to see me, especially because I didn't look as good as she did in my sweats.

I went down the aisle next to her and peered through the shelf, shuffling some products around. She held two spices in her hand, weighing up which one she preferred. I took a moment to analyze her chest, which was all I could see at the moment. Her top wasn't too low cut, but her collarbone was bare and practically calling out for me to lick and suck on it.

She chose which one she wanted and placed it into the cart, then walked further down the aisle. Still peering through the shelf, I followed her.

Just as she was picking out another item, I suddenly felt my body collide with something. My arm swung out and knocked some stuff off the shelves as I toppled over, but caught myself before I hit the ground.

"Shit, shit, shit!" I whispered harshly. I looked at what I crashed into and saw that same skinny emo stock boy from earlier, who was bending down and placing price stickers on products.

"Watch where you're going!" he yelled out viciously, looking at me like I was Satan's spawn.

"I'm sorry!" I said in a quiet voice, but loud enough for him to hear.

He grumbled, muttering to himself, and walked as far away from me as possible.

I looked at the ground and noticed I dropped some things from the shelf. Without even taking in what it was, I picked one up and was just about to put it on the shelf when a cart came into the aisle.

"Edward?"

I froze, and turned my head a little. Bella was standing there looking confused.

"Hi," I said, a bit out of breath.

"What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

"Shopping," I replied with a blank expression.

She looked down the aisle past me. "In the baby aisle?"

I looked around and saw a million brands of diaper products on either side of me.

"Yep." I wouldn't be able to get out of this one.

She looked down at my hands. "Shopping for… Jumbo Sized Diapers?"

I looked at what I was holding. I hadn't even bothered to see what I dropped earlier. "Yeah, you know… they're for Emmett," I blurted.

"Emmett," she said incredulously, with a hint of a smile.

"Yep. Bad dreams."

She smirked. "Gotcha."

We stood staring at each other for a couple seconds. The only difference was that she looked amused, while I probably looked like a complete nervous idiot.

"Well," she said. "Are you going to buy your diapers or what?"

I mentally groaned. Did I have to buy this thing now? "Emmett's diapers," I corrected.

"Oh, yes. Excuse me. _Emmett's _diapers," she said. "I'm just about to leave now, so if you're ready to go, you can join me in line."

I nodded and followed her.

"Wait. Aren't you going to clean up those diapers off the floor?" she asked.

_Nah, I'll let skinny emo stock boy do it. _

"Oh, I didn't do this," I lied.

She smiled and pushed her cart into a line. "Right." She began placing her items onto the conveyor belt. I made a dash to help her out, but she stopped me. "Thanks, I got it though."

I groaned to myself and just stood, watching her.

I needed to somehow take her off her guard, to break down that controlled exterior. So, I improvised. "What are you wearing?" I asked in a low, husky voice.

Her eyes flashed to mine with uncertainty. "Tonight, you mean?

I shrugged and smiled.

She arched an eyebrow and stared at me.

"Miss? I'm ready to ring you up," the woman at the cash register said.

Bella averted her eyes and stepped in front of me to pay. I placed my diapers…Emmett's diapers…on the belt behind Bella's items.

When we were both done, we walked out into the parking lot. I only had one bag, while Bella carried four.

"Can I hold those for you—" I started to offer before she cut me off.

"No, I got it."

I groaned to myself.

_She doesn't want help with anything! _

She stopped before we approached some cars. "My car is on the other side of the lot, so I'll just say bye to you here."

I shook my head. "I'll walk you to your car."

"No, that's fine, I can—"

"Bella," I said sternly, staring down at her. "I'm walking you to your car."

Her eyes went wide for a split second, and then she began slowly walking.

_Damn right! I have to be bossy with this one. Mmm…I wonder if I can be like that when I get her in bed…_

I instantly got hard and tried to quickly adjust myself before following her lead.

"So, you never answered my question," I noted.

She stopped at a maroon colored four-wheel drive and opened the trunk. "But do you mean tonight or right now?"

I gave her a smug smile and placed my hand over her head on top of the opened trunk door, while she placed her groceries inside. "Both," I answered slyly.

She continued what she was doing, not showing any signs of acknowledging what I said. "Well, for tonight, I still haven't picked anything out, but as soon as I get home, I'll take a look." She finally looked up at me and walked closer, shutting the trunk. "But right now…I'm wearing these." She reached into the side of her jeans and pulled out a thin black strap.

_Holy shit… she's wearing a thong. _

I suddenly realized I had stopped breathing.

"And these," she said, and pinched the front of her top, pulling it away from her chest. She nudged her head for me to…look down her top?!

I gaped at her, standing still.

"Well? Are you going to look?" she asked with a sly grin.

_HELL YES!_

I stepped closer to her, our bodies only a couple inches apart. I looked down her shirt and saw a pair of two plump, perky breasts covered in a black lace demi bra. If I wasn't already salivating before, I was certainly now.

My dick was straining against my sweats, and I knew she'd be able to see it. I felt my control slip as I had the sudden desire to take her right here in the parking lot. I was about to demand she get into the backseat of her car, when she quickly removed her hand, closing off my view of heaven.

Still in shock, I didn't move, or even breathe.

"Well, bye, Edward!" I heard her say as a door opened. "Can you take two steps back? Or do you want me to…back up into you?"

My head jerked up and I looked at her with wide eyes.

"Two steps, Edward," she repeated, motioning with two fingers the direction I needed to move.

I obliged absentmindedly, and before I knew what happened, the parking spot was empty and I was still standing there like a lunatic.

On my way back home, I was pretty much a zombie. All I could thing about was what I wanted to do to Bella and wishing I could fuck her sooner than Thursday.

I walked into the apartment, barely able to walk.

"Hey, you're back early," Emmett said, watching TV.

"Here…these are for you." I threw the diapers at him, which he barely caught.

"What the hell are these? And where are the groceries?" he asked angrily as I walked into my bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

I took out my phone and scrolled down my contacts to Irina's name, but didn't dial. I stared at it a couple minutes, my eyes becoming glassy, and then threw it on my bed with a loud grunt.

Stripping off my clothes, I walked into the bathroom, turned the shower on, and proceeded to have the best wank of my life, thinking of only Bella.

X-X-X-X

Six o'clock was approaching quickly and I lay on my bed, fully dressed with my hands behind my head, eyeing the clock every few minutes. Okay…every thirty seconds.

When the clock turned exactly six, I stood up, walked out into the living room, and waited near the door.

"Now, you let me know if she asks you to go steady, okay?" Emmett teased with a grin. He was sitting on the couch with his feet up on the coffee table.

"Shut up," I muttered and walked over to the couch, deciding I needed to relax. But just as I was about to sit, there was a knock on the door. I bolted to it quickly and composed myself before turning the handle.

I opened the door to reveal Bella with one paper bag of groceries and a bottle of wine.

"Hi!" she greeted excitedly, walked up to me, and pecked me on the lips briefly.

I looked at her in confusion. "Hi…? What's all this?" I asked, gesturing to her bag.

She looked down at it. "Oh…this?" she questioned innocently.

_That's what I just asked! _

"Yes," I stated.

"Well…" she started. "Can I come in first? I'd rather not stand out here in the hallway."

"Oh, yeah," I stepped aside, allowing her to move past me into the apartment.

"Hello, Emmett," she greeted, setting the paper bag down in the kitchen.

Emmett waved to her from his lofty perch. "Hey, Bella. How are you doing?"

"I'm good, thanks. How are those diapers holding up?" she asked with a wink.

He looked at her curiously, then at me. "Yeah… Edward. Why did you—"

"Never mind." I interrupted quickly.

Bella walked into the kitchen and occupied herself by opening drawers and cupboards.

I walked up to Emmett who looked baffled.

"I thought you guys were going out," he whispered to me, standing up to speak quieter.

Loud noises sounded in the kitchen, and the sink turned on.

"I thought so, too," I whispered back, completely bewildered.

"Should I go?" he asked.

I shrugged, unsure. "I don't know."

"Bella?" Emmett called out, moving past me.

"Yeah?" she answered over the sound of pots and pans clanking.

"Where's Rose at?" he asked.

I heard the sound of chopping on a cutting board. "She should be home. We usually don't go out on Sunday nights," Bella said.

Emmett grabbed his keys and walked out the door. "Alright, you both have fun." Before he fully left, he looked over his shoulder and threw me a smug smile.

I made my way into the kitchen and leaned against the wall, watching Bella. She was cutting up potatoes. She had a tray with steaks, and a bowl with some sort of red liquid that I assumed was for marinating.

"What's going on?" I asked vaguely.

"Nothing," she said, not looking at me.

"I thought we were going out."

She set her knife down and looked at me with a smile. "Oh, yeah…well, I wanted to go out, but then I felt bad because you got a bit upset cause I was the one taking you out, so I just decided to cook for you. I mean, it's sort of a win-win situation. You get to eat some steaks, and I get to make them...and eat them, of course," she added with a chuckle.

_Mmm, steaks. _

"Is that okay?" she asked me with her big doe eyes glistening in the light.

I scratched the back of my neck nervously. "Yeah."

"Great!" she exclaimed, and quickly went back to chopping.

I took a minute to look at her. She was wearing a dark brown pencil skirt that clung to her sexy curves, and a simple white tank top that showed enough cleavage to make me remember our little peep show earlier. I severely wanted another one, and was prepared to do just about anything for it…

_Whoa, Edward…steady. _

I shook my head and cleared my throat. "So…did you have a nice day?" I asked, making mundane small talk.

"Oh, yes," she said, throwing the diced potatoes into a pan on the stove. "What about you?"

"Yeah, it was good." I wasn't going to tell her how I jerked off to the image of me fucking her tits and then coming on them.

"Wanna help me?" she asked.

_No, but you can help me…_

"Sure, with what?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Just swish around the potatoes in the pan so they don't burn," she said, handing me a spatula. "I'm just going to marinate the steaks and pop them into the oven."

I did as she told me. I was acutely aware of her body as she moved around me, brushing against my back. I shivered from the contact and had a hard time concentrating on swishing these damn potatoes.

Something suddenly beeped loudly, causing me to jump. "What the hell is that?" I exclaimed.

She chuckled. "Relax. It's just the oven," she said, moving past me to open it. "Have you never used this before?" She placed the steaks inside.

"No. Emmett and I usually eat out, except for breakfast, which is mainly just cereal," I admitted.

"So, you don't know how to cook at all?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"That's a shame," she noted. "There's nothing sexier than a man that can cook." She turned her back to me, turned some knobs on the oven, and switched off the stove.

_Mental note: learn to cook. _

"Alright, this will probably take about twenty minutes. In the mean time, I brought wine," Bella said. She poured two glasses and handed one to me. "Here's to steak."

I snorted, amused. "Yes, steak."

We clinked our glasses together and I took a sip, never taking my eyes off her. The corner of her mouth turned up, and she walked out of the kitchen.

I spun on my heel and followed her out into the living room. She was looking around casually.

"Nice bachelor pad," she commented.

I smiled and sat down on the couch, patting the spot next to me for her to join me. She grinned in return and slowly walked over, taking a sip of her wine while her hips swayed subtly.

_God, she's fucking sexy. _

She sat down next to me, our legs and arms brushing up against each other.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you before that I was coming over with the food. I sort of wanted to surprise you," she said, appearing nervous.

I grabbed her wine out of her hand and set both of ours down on the coffee table. Reaching up to her face, I tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and brushed her cheek with my knuckles. "I'm enjoying myself, so it's no problem," I admitted, which wasn't a lie at all.

She shivered at my touch and closed her eyes for a brief second, then snapped them open.

"You okay?" I breathed, continuing to pet her cheek.

"Mmhmm," she hummed, staring at me.

I brought up my other hand and held her face, rubbing her rosy cheeks with my thumb. I couldn't help but stare at her lips. They were so full and pink, and I wanted them all over my body.

Before I knew what I was doing, I leaned into her, my face a breath away from hers. We continued our unwavering stare as our noses touched lightly. I softly ghosted my lips over hers, causing her to gasp and close her eyes. I shut mine, too, wanting to bask in the feel of her as I firmly planted my lips over her own. It was only a closed-mouth kiss, but it awoke such strong sensations in the pit of my stomach. I only assumed it was just me being highly aroused.

She moaned and began to move her mouth against mine. I slid my hands down her face, neck, shoulders, and arms, grabbing her hands and holding them tightly up to my chest.

She maneuvered her hands away from my grasp and suddenly pushed me back against the couch, my head banging against the armrest.

"Bell—" I choked out, before being cut off by her mouth crashing against mine, our tongues entwining.

Her hands were everywhere, my chest, stomach, neck. I moved her so that she was lying flat on top of me, her hips lining up with mine. She moaned as she rubbed herself against my now painful erection.

I slithered my hands from her back, down to her ass, and squeezed it hard, earning a hiss from her. She immediately attacked my neck, licking and sucking, occasionally biting.

I groaned and inched the hem of her skirt up her thigh little by little. She reached in between us suddenly and grabbed my dick through my pants.

"Fuck!" I was completely taken aback. I didn't waste anymore time, and pulled her skirt up around her waist. I peeked down and saw she was wearing that black thong from earlier, giving me a spectacular view of her tight ass. "Oh, shit, yes," I moaned, not only from seeing the thong, but also because her little hand was making work of my fly.

She reached in and began massaging my member through my briefs. I rubbed her ass, separating and massaging the cheeks. My fingers slowly crept down her inner thigh and to her heated core…

"No!" she yelled, jumping off me and pulling her skirt down quickly. She walked as far away from the couch as possible.

I lay on my back, with a massive hard on, staring at her in confusion. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

She shook her head. "Can you zip your fly up, please?" she asked.

I groaned and begrudgingly pulled my zipper back up, then sat up straight, placing my head in my hands.

"I'm sorry," she uttered. I looked up at her. She looked so frightened. But, the next moment, that expression was gone, replaced with a smug smile. "Guess I got a bit carried away." She chuckled.

I arched an eyebrow.

_Is she fucking with me? _

_Damn you, Bella Stork. _

She walked over to me and sat down on the far side of the couch. "The thing is…you're a really great guy, and I just want to take it slow," she admitted with sincerity in her tone. "I'm still a bit fragile from my last relationship, you see"

I nodded slowly. "Oh yeah. That's perfectly fine. We can go as slow as you want." I smiled devilishly.

_That's what she thinks. _

I knew now that I couldn't wait until Thursday. No. It had to be before then. She was driving me crazy and I had to get her out of my system soon. I'd do everything within my power to get her into my bed.

"Thank you. I appreciate that," she said. "You're a really great man, Edward." She looked up at me from under her long lashes and flashed me a bright smile.

I was momentarily hypnotized, until a loud beeping sound caused me to jump again.

_Fuck! I gotta kill that thing. _

She laughed and stood. "That'll be the steaks. I'll be back."

I watched her ass as she got up and imagined my dick rubbing between her spankable cheeks.

I was taken out of my kinky thoughts, when she came back with two plates of steaks and potatoes.

"Alright," she said, putting a plate in front of me on the coffee table. "I hope you like it. I took a cooking class once and became a cookaholic after that. My dad begs me to make this whenever I see him." She settled down next to me and started eating.

I didn't _really _have an appetite at the moment…well, not for food anyway. If I denied the food, she'd get upset or angry, and the last thing I wanted to do was chase her out of here. So, I picked up my fork and knife, and cut a very teeny tiny piece.

"That's not big enough!" she exclaimed, and yanked the utensils out of my hand. "You need a good amount on there." She cut the appropriate amount of steak and forked it, then handed it to me. "Eat."

I eyed it, and then reluctantly ate it.

_Holy crap._

"Mmm," I hummed, chewing with my mouth full.

_Oh shit…this is good._

"Mmm," I repeated, nodding and trying not to let my eyes roll into the back of my head.

_Goddamn…_

"Mmph…" I was a goner.

"Good?" she asked triumphantly as if she already knew the answer.

_Good?! If I could have sex with a steak…_

"Terrific," I replied with a grin.

"I'm glad." She took a sip of her wine.

_She's hot __**and**__ she can cook? _

I started to become curious why that Jasper douche cheated on her.

"His fucking loss," I muttered out loud.

"What?" she asked.

I reluctantly set my fork and knife down, already having steak withdrawals. "Why do you still talk to your ex?"

She stopped chewing with a blank expression. "I've known him forever. Why wouldn't I?"

"He seems like he hurt you pretty bad."

She shrugged, looking indifferent.

"Did you ever meet the other woman?"

"Can we not talk about this?" she asked, not looking at me.

I furrowed my eyebrows. Didn't women usually like to talk about their problems?

"Uhhh, yeah. If you'd like," I replied.

"Sorry…I'd just rather enjoy the evening…" She picked up her plate and went into the kitchen hurriedly.

_He must've really hurt her…_

When she hadn't come back for over five minutes, I started to get antsy.

"Everything okay?" I questioned as I walked into the kitchen.

She was leaning against the counter with the bottle of wine in one hand and her glass in another. Most of the contents were gone.

She looked at me and smiled lazily. "Oh, yeah. I'm good."

I smiled and took the wine bottle away from her. "That's enough for you."

She looked like she was about to protest, but then sighed. "I think I better get going."

I frowned. "Why? It's still early."

_Plus, I haven't shown you my bedroom. _

"I forgot I have some work to get done at home, and I really can't put it off." She started to pack up everything she brought.

I wanted desperately to tell her to not go, but I kept my mouth shut.

She smiled at me weakly before gathering her keys and walking to the door. Just as she opened it, I grabbed her arm, spun her around, and crashed my lips to hers. She let out a surprised yelp against my mouth, but then relaxed with a big sigh. I sucked on her bottom lip a little before pulling away. I smiled as I analyzed her. She still had her eyes shut with her lips pouted, and I almost went in for a second helping, until she snapped open her eyes and scurried out of my apartment and down the hall.

I shut the door triumphantly and walked towards my bedroom.

_I'll figure Bella Stork out if I have to cut off my left testicle.

* * *

_

**A/N:**

**Ow…lol. Schemeward means business.**

**Insight: I actually did Google Bella Stork and embroidery scissors came up. Hahah. It was actually pretty sweet…not really...But look!**  
_**www(.)bit(.)ly/9DZrV2**_

* * *

**Hate Me Forum Link: _www(.)twilighted(.)net/forum/viewtopic(.)php?f=44&t=8933_**  
**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**


	9. Ego

**A/N: **

**Shout out to those that tried to look up Hubert Stork, unfortunately…I made him up. But if he were real, I'd be all over him!**

**Thanks to my beta Brandy_D, whom I love! And thanks to my pre-reader AngelStardust for easing my nerves about my insecurities over this chapter.**

* * *

**_Previously..._**

**After an interesting "date" with Bella, Edward decides he wants to figure Bella Stork out--I mean, Bella Swan...**

* * *

**~*EGO*~  
*BELLA***

As soon as I got the lock open, I pushed the door, stomped in, and threw my paper bag on the kitchen counter carelessly.

"Hey, whoa! What's with the attitude?" Rose asked as she walked out of her bedroom.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Aren't you supposed to be with Emmett?" I grumbled.

"I told him I was tired tonight and asked if we could see each other tomorrow night instead," she admitted. "What's got your panties in a twist?"

I glared at her and walked into the living room to sit down.

"Did loverboy upset you?" she questioned, following me.

I sighed and looked down at the ground. "I don't even know…"

She sat down next to me. "Uh oh…I know that face," Rose assessed. "You're starting to feel guilty, aren't you?"

With my head hung low, I lifted my index and thumb in the air and spaced them an inch apart. I was feeling a _bit_ guilty.

I thought I had everything under control. Phase two had started out perfectly. He was shocked to see that I had switched up the date to his place instead of out, and didn't even argue about it. And then, he kissed me. It had started out innocently, but my _treasure_ down below suddenly woke up and realized I was horny as hell, which caused me to practically molest him. At that moment, I didn't care who he was, I just needed the release in any way. Soon, it hit me that it was him…and I remembered who he was, so I tried to get as far away from him as possible.

I attempted to recover with the steaks, which he practically had an orgasm over… I could tell. But then, he had to go and bring up the whole non-existent ex-boyfriend thing which made me a nervous wreck, and I just couldn't get it together again, so I practically bolted. Of course, before I rocketed out of there, he went and kissed me like I was the only girl in the world...

On the way home, I felt awful. What if he had changed? What if he wasn't the same anymore? Was that even remotely possible?

"Bella," Rose said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Whatever you're thinking…_don't_." I looked up at her. "He deserves it, I'm telling you."

"How do you know for sure?" I asked.

"Besides him being a cocky bastard, which is already enough of a reason to mess with him, Emmett let it slip that he has these three women that he uses for his own sexual pleasure."

My head shot up. "What?"

She nodded. "Emmett refers to them as the KIT girls. He calls one of them up, and then they become available for him, whenever he wants."

My mouth fell open. _Well, shit. _

"So, whatever is making you feel guilty…stop that right now. Personally, I think he needs his dick chopped off—Lorena Bobbitt style," she said, chuckling.

My mind raced over thoughts of these _three_ girls. What the hell did he need three girls for when one girl could do the trick? Oh God...When he had been making the moves on me at dinner, had he seen one of his KIT girls earlier for...whatever it was they did for him?

I shivered in pure disgust at the thought.

_That sick, horny bastard. I can't believe I wasted a single thought on feeling sorry for him. _

I decided that from here on out, I would continue exactly with what I had planned for the scumbag. Edward deserved every ounce of pain and humiliation that would be coming his way. And the bonus would be that maybe his little cult of vagina's would be affected, too, in the process. After all, he very well wouldn't be calling those ho's up if he were fawning over me like a love-sick puppy, which was my main goal.

"You're right, Rose." I stood up, composing myself. "Thanks."

"No problem."

With my confidence fully restored, I grabbed my cell and texted a message to the fuckface himself.

_**Wanna hang out tomorrow at noon? ;-)**_

_**-Bella**_

No more than five minutes later, I received a reply.

_**Yes. Your place?  
-Edward**_

I laughed at him for being so presumptuous.

_Oh no you don't. _

_**Yours. See you then. **_

_**-Bella**_

Satisfied and completely rejuvenated, I turned off my phone for the night.

X-X-X-X

I unlocked the club and walked in, holding a Starbuck's Caramel Frappuccino. I pushed my sunglasses to the top of my head and made my way over to the bar. It was eerily quiet in the room without the mildly loud sound of music playing on the loudspeakers.

I just set my purse down on the table, when I heard rowdy noises coming from outside. The windows were covered by thick velvet curtains, so I couldn't see anything. I drew back a small portion of the curtain and saw a large moving truck parked outside Satyr. Three men were unloading heavy looking platforms and moving them inside. Pushing aside the curtain an inch more, I noticed a few inappropriately dressed women standing outside.

I was just about to close the curtains, when I saw Edward's Vanquish pull up and park. My eyebrows shot up so high, they were probably blending in with my hairline. He swiftly got out of the car and approached the women. My view was suddenly obstructed by haziness, and when I leaned back a bit, I realized that I had fogged up the glass, so I quickly wiped it with my sleeve and returned to my position.

He was chatting to them casually, gesturing a lot with his hands, but then one woman touched his arm and threw her head back, laughing. My eyes practically burned a hole in her hand as I continued to stare. He smiled sweetly and then gestured them inside. As he began to walk inside, I didn't realize my head moving closer to the glass, and I suddenly jarred back a bit when my forehead collided with the glass loudly.

"Ow!" I rubbed my forehead aggressively, trying to take away the sting.

Edward suddenly looked over his shoulder at me.

"Shit!" I yelled and quickly dove out from behind the curtains.

_Fuck…did he see me? _

I drew back the curtain barely a centimeter, to see that he had vanished.

"What are you doing?"

I jumped nearly three feet in the air, and speedily turned around to see Alice and Rose. They had somehow entered the club without me noticing.

I shook my head, not really sure what to say.

"So, you saw their new dancers, huh?" Alice asked.

"Dancers?" I questioned.

"The platforms…tacky dressed sluts...They're hiring Go-Go dancers," Rose said.

"What?" I barked. "That's disgusting!"

"Sure is good for business though," Alice noted.

I began to walk over to the office, as they followed. "To have half-naked women whoring their bodies?" I questioned with an expression of utter disgust. "I don't think so. That's a cheap way to get business."

"I guarantee they'll get more business," Alice said.

I sat down in the swivel chair and turned on the computer. "Whose side are you on?!" I yelled.

"I'm just saying that they're doing what they can to attract more customers," she noted.

"You mean, sleazy men with three inch dicks?" I quipped.

"Alice is right," Rose proclaimed.

My eyes flew to Rose's. "What do you mean 'Alice is right'?"

"We need something like that to boost revenue," she clarified.

"No…NO. Absolutely not." I scowled. "If we want to improve our club, we get new speakers, more lights…not half-naked tramps with big tits!" I shouted.

"I never said half-naked women, but something along that line could work," Rose commented.

I sat back in my chair and took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "We are a sophisticated club. We don't _do_ cheap thrills just for the buck." With that, I opened my email.

There, in my inbox, was the last email I had gotten from Edward. I clicked it and read the same line over and over again, my nostrils flaring.

_**I look forward to seeing your club empty. **_

The way things were going with our club, in a couple months, it really _would_ be empty. We'd worked too damn hard for everything to go down the toilet just because of a couple of assholes with naked women showing off their discount implants.

"Fine. I relent. What do you guys have in mind?"

Alice and Rose practically squealed, and walked off abruptly. I watched, baffled, as they left.

"Uhh…hello? I asked a question!" I yelled out towards the direction of the door.

After a few minutes with no response, I turned my focus back to the email, and brought up a new message to write. _**  
**_

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: Game over?  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 11:43 AM  
--**_

_**Now that your club is turning into a strip joint, does that mean I win? Let me guess…one of their names is Lexxxie. Or perhaps your standard Candy. How boring. **_

_**Touch&Go **_

X-X-X-X

I snickered. I knew they weren't _really _turning it into a strip club. Though, those girls certainly looked like they'd just come from one.

A little less than a minute later, an email notification popped up.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: Game over?  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 11:44 AM  
--**_

_**Spying on us, eh? Don't you have anything better to do? Like counting the money your husband gave you to spend on your cute little hole in the wall? **_

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I let out a sound of disgust. Did he usually speak to older women like this? Not that I was an old woman…

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: Game over?  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 11:46 AM  
--**_

_**I'm not surprised you assume I'm an old, married cougar. You probably don't think much with your head. Well…the higher one, at least. **_

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

I began to briefly wonder if he was having sex with one of those slutty women, until another email popped up.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Game over?  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 11:47 AM  
--**_

_**Oh, really? How old are you then? **_

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I froze, my fingers hovering over the keyboard. Was it wise to tell him how old I was? After pondering this a few moments, I realized it couldn't hurt anyone. But I couldn't just hand over the answer easily. What fun was that?

After over ten minutes of mulling over my answer, I finally replied.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: Hope you enjoy Calculus  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 12:00 PM  
--**_

**(x^2 + y^2 + x[10√(6π)]/[6π])^2 = 100/[√(6π)] * (x^2 + y^2)**

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

_That should shut him up for a while._

"Thank God for Calculus…" I trailed off out loud.

Looking at the time, I noticed it was nearly noon and that I was supposed to be meeting with Edward…even though he was across the street, at the moment.

I decided to give him a head start to his house, so I just continued to sit, staring up at the ceiling.

I had just finished counting three rows of ceiling tiles, when a knock ruined my concentration. I looked at the door to see Jasper. I narrowed my eyes instantly. Seeing him reminded me of what Alice had told me about him running away from her.

"Shut the door and have a seat," I said sternly.

"O…kay…" He shut it firmly. "I feel like I'm in the principal's office," he said as he sat across from me. "Am I in trouble or something?"

I nodded. "How could you do that to Alice?"

He sighed and hung his head. "I'm guessing she told you?"

"Mmhmm," I hummed, clicking a pen.

"Did you tell her I was sorry?" he asked.

I quirked an eyebrow. "How is that my job? I hardly even know what the hell happened. Care to enlighten me?"

He looked conflicted for a moment, but then relaxed, sitting back in his chair. "I went over and saw her, and it turned out she wasn't sick, so we began to talk," he admitted. "Normally, I'm pretty uncomfortable around her, because…well…she's her, but for some reason, I let myself enjoy her company without becoming a nervous wreck." He began fidgeting with his sleeves. "Anyway, later on, I started to wonder what it would be like to kiss her. I don't know how, but the next minute, I found myself right up to her face. But when I went to lean in, I began to think of the fact that she's this accomplished business woman, while I'm still in school trying to become a psychiatrist. I'm not even sure if I'll be able to get a job after I finish. That thought alone scared me, and intimidated me, so I ran out of there."

I stared at him with my lips slightly parted. "You're an idiot."

He leaned forward a bit in his chair. "Well, thanks. Nice to know I have such a considerate, kind best friend."

"You think too much, Jazz," I scolded. "So what if she's more successful than you now? You'll get there. She _likes_ you. She accepts you for who you are. I, personally, think you're damn lucky." I looked over at him. He was looking anywhere but at me. "I gotta head out, but we'll talk later."

We both stood up and exited, saying our goodbyes to each other. As I left the building, I made sure to look out for any sign of Edward before getting into my car and driving to his apartment.

When I arrived, I knocked on his door and waited. While standing there, I began to formulate my plan for him today and what I wanted to accomplish.

I knew I had to get him comfortable and talking about himself, since men _loved_ discussing themselves. Last time I had cooked for him, and things didn't _quite_ go the way I wanted it to. So, this time, I would make sure I was completely on my game.

I was running through some ideas in my head, when I noticed it had been a while, and he still hadn't answered, so I knocked again, only this time, harder and faster.

No answer.

_Maybe he's in the shower…_

I leaned my ear up against the door, but couldn't hear any water running.

I was just about to go home, when I heard the elevator ding. I turned my head and smiled.

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I got held up at the club," Edward said, walking swiftly over to me.

My face fell. Did that Go-Go tramp touch him again? Did he let her? Did he touch her, too?

He began to unlock his apartment door, but stopped to appraise my appearance. "You look nice," he remarked, and leaned in to kiss me, but I swiftly turned my head. His lips landed firmly on my cheek. As he pulled back with a confused expression, I looked up at him innocently.

"Well? Are you going to let me in?" I asked.

He turned away with a frown and opened the door, holding it open for me to walk in. When I moved past him, I could feel his eyes gazing over my body intently. I wasn't _trying_ to be sexy, all I was wearing were jeans and a fitted black t-shirt, but perhaps the sway I had in my hips as I walked had gotten his attention. The sway worked wonderfully when I'd had to seduce all the guys I'd been with.

The door shut behind me, causing the apartment to become dark, except for the natural light shining in from the window. I turned around and removed my purse from my shoulder. Edward was smiling smugly at me for some reason; one corner of his mouth higher than the other, and it took all my will power not to punch it off his face.

He began swinging the ring of his keys around his forefinger as he took slow, lingering steps over to me, staring intently into my eyes

I raised an eyebrow. _What the hell are you doing, Edward?_

When he reached me, he grabbed my purse out of my hands and tossed it somewhere behind me, as well as his keys. I began to turn my head around to see where my purse landed, but his hands quickly came up to hold my head, keeping it still. The pads of his thumbs brushed my cheeks softly as he analyzed my face closely with a serious expression. He moved his thumbs down to my lips, outlining and rubbing the flesh lightly. With my arms firmly at my side, I made a move to step backwards and out of his hold, but he quickly grabbed my hips and molded my body to his, our faces inches apart from each other.

"You're really something to look at…" he whispered, his eyes darting all over my face before landing on my lips.

I could feel his warm breath on me as he leaned in, delicately brushing his lips against mine. He grabbed my stiff arms and wrapped them around his neck, but I didn't tighten my hold. He caressed my arms lightly with his fingertips, causing goosebumps to involuntarily form. He planted his mouth more firmly against mine, and I could feel him slightly smile.

"Pizza," I blurted out against his mouth.

He pulled back barely a millimeter, his lips still hovering dangerously close to mine. "What?"

I released a shallow breath. "We should order it."

He rubbed his nose against mine. "I'm not really hungry…for food."

"But, I am—" I barely got out before his lips crashed on my mouth hungrily. He weaved his hands into my hair, grabbing it by the roots and holding my head as his tongue snaked out and forced its way into my mouth. His tongue was warm, wet, and I could scarcely taste the mint of his toothpaste.

When he realized I wasn't responding to him, he pulled back. "Are you okay?" he asked.

I nodded and smiled as sweetly as I could. "I'm just hungry."

He sighed and brought a hand up to scratch his forehead. "Okay." He took a step away from me, making sure to grab my hand, and led me over to his couch. "Pizza, you said?"

I nodded and sat. "If you grab my purse, I can call up the pizza place."

He wasted no time and picked my purse off the floor and brought it over to me. I fished out my phone and called my local pizza place. After I finished ordering, I set my phone and purse on his coffee table, and then stared forward. He was, of course, staring at me unabashedly.

He suddenly scooted all the way over to me, our thighs touching. His hand settled on my leg, his fingers much too close to that special place between my thighs. "Tell me about yourself, Bella." His tone was low and smooth.

"What do you want to know?" I asked, still not looking at him.

He was silent for a moment, but then leaned into my ear and began lightly kissing the cartilage. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" he whispered.

His breath tickled my ear and I shivered. "No," I answered.

"Cousins?" he questioned, then took my earlobe into his mouth, sucking lightly.

I closed my eyes. Earlobe sucking had always been a turn on for me. "No," I replied unconsciously, but it sounded more like a moan.

"Distant…" he kissed under my ear, "relatives?"

"No." I released a shaky breath.

"Are you just answering no for everything?" He licked a spot on the side of my neck, and then sucked, scraping his teeth against my skin in the process.

"No."

He chuckled, his nose nuzzling my jaw.

I actually couldn't even recall the questions he asked me, let alone my answers.

His hand crept closer and closer to the inseam of my jeans, right over where I was beginning to ache. When his fingers made contact with my clit, I sucked in air quickly. The sensation of him rubbing me through my jeans was creating the _perfect_ friction. Against my own will, I found my legs spreading apart.

"Do you like this?" he whispered in my ear.

All I could do was grab onto the front of his shirt as he continued rubbing me.

"I think you do…" His pace picked up, eliciting a quiet whimper from me.

It felt, nice, different, to not be thinking so intently on the scheme. I allowed myself to feel the pleasure he was creating. And..._God_…was it pleasurable.

He kissed his way across my cheek slowly, stopping right at my lips. "Tell me what you want, Bella Stork."

And that did it. My eyes flew open, and I let go of my death grip on his shirt.

My plans. I had plans I needed to stick to. I couldn't get lost in any sort of physical feelings…even though I was feeling majorly deprived of it. _Majorly_.

_All in due time, Bella. _

"I want…you," I answered huskily, looking up at him from under my lashes.

He looked momentarily surprised, but that quickly melted into a small, knowing smile. "You have me." His lips landed on mine, sucking on my bottom lip expertly.

I released a throaty moan, and then pushed against his chest. "Can I use your bathroom? I need to…freshen up," I breathed.

He looked at me as if he had won a million dollars, and then grabbed my hand, pulling me to stand. He led me into his bedroom and over to his bathroom. As he flicked on the lights, he squeezed my hand. "Don't be too long in here."

I stepped forward and moved past him, making sure to rub my ass against his arousal. He inhaled and groaned. I swore I heard him whisper, _"Shit."_

"Oh…I won't. Trust me," I said seductively. I began to close the door slowly, watching his lust-filled eyes glaze over, and then I firmly shut the door, turning the lock hard.

I exhaled, relieved to be away from him for a minute. _Jesus Christ, he's horny. _

The short amount of time I'd been here, he'd tried to feel me up and get me aroused. This confused me because I had thought he would have waited until a littler later to make his move. After all, that was his aim, right? It had only been four days or so. How was that a challenge?

I contemplated how long I'd have to stay in here.

_One Mississippi…Two Mississippi…Three Missi—I'm bored._

I walked further in and looked around his bathroom. Everything was nicely kept and organized. I noticed he had his shampoo, conditioner, and soap nicely lined up on the ledge of his large shower. Looking closer, I read the brand and noticed his shampoo and conditioner were from _Suave_—the exact brand I used. I wasn't sure if I was weirded out because we liked the same brand…or because he had girls' hair products.

"Hmm," I hummed out loud. I walked over and grabbed all three bottles, then brought them over to the counter near the sink, setting them down.

_Well, if I'm going to be here for a bit, I might as well have some fun. _

I unscrewed the bottle tops and set them down. A strong scent of coconut filled the air, which caused me to stop for a few seconds to smell the fragrance.

_I should trade out my Vanilla Floral one for this. _

I picked up the shampoo and completely emptied it into the sink, turning on the faucet lightly to wash it all down. When I finished, I began looking inside the drawers and cupboard under his sink.

I smiled. "Oh dear…what is this?" I asked myself quietly, amused.

In the cupboard were various lotions, oils, and bath salts. Looking towards the back, I saw a moderately sized box. I grabbed it and opened, revealing a whole plethora of kinky items.

"Why _hello_ there," I said, chuckling.

I picked up a red feather and tickled my nose with it, then put it back. Next was some sort of a freaky looking toy with two conjoined balls. I recalled seeing something similar on an adult toy website, but didn't look at the description because it looked weird. I set that down quickly, and then grabbed the next item, which were beads…

"Ooh...ow…That is just…ow," I sputtered, putting the beads back quickly. Lord only knew where those had been.

A quiet knock on the door interrupted my snooping. "Everything okay in there?" I heard Edward ask impatiently.

"Yeah," I replied loudly. "I'll be out soon."

"Do you need anything?"

"Nope! I'm good!" I quietly continued looking through his box of kinkiness.

"Okay, if you need anything, let me know."  
_  
Yes, yes…now go away. _

"Thanks!" I yelled out. After a couple seconds looking more at his stuff, I found, more or less, what I needed. "Ah, bingo."

I grabbed a bottle of chocolate syrup in his box—kinky mother fucker—and grabbed the empty shampoo bottle. As I poured the entire contents of the syrup into the shampoo bottle, I snickered.

_He's going to have a shit fit when he washes his hair next._

When I finished, I grabbed some of his lotions and body massage oils and replaced the conditioner and soap with them. Satisfied with my work, I placed everything back where they belonged, and continued my searching. Opening a drawer, I found his electric shaver, and quickly removed the batteries and filled the cavity with shaving cream, making sure to put the batteries back in afterwards.

_Nice. _

I opened his medicine cabinet and laughed. He had a small bottle of baby oil. My eyes went down to his toothbrush, and then back to the baby oil.

"Hmmm."

Just as I began to grab both, I heard a distant knock on his front door.

_Oh. Next time…_

I pressed my ear up against the bathroom door, trying to hear who was there. I could hear Edward arguing with someone, but couldn't make out who it was. The arguing got louder and I knew Edward was becoming agitated.

Quickly composing myself, I opened the bathroom door and walked out and into the living room. Edward was holding the doorknob, his face red, and his hand shoved in his pocket.

"Everything okay?" I asked him. He turned his head at my voice and gave me a tight smile.

When I reached Edward's side, and saw who was standing in the hallway, I beamed…but that didn't last as the full weight of this predicament I found myself in hit me.

I was going to be exposed.

Game over.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Whoa, who is that? I don't know! Wait…aren't I supposed to know? Hmmm :-p**

**Warning: Do not place chocolate syrup in your boyfriends/husband's/lesbian partner's shampoo bottle…**

**Nah, go ahead. It's fun. **

**NOTE: Just for your information, in the Hate Me timeline, with this chapter, we are currently on Monday. Remember, Edward's scheme usually ends on a Thursday, so that's 3 full days to go to get his groove on. **

**See you ladies next update…it's gonna be an interesting one!**

**You can bug me on twitter if you want: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**Rec**

_**Decoy – by 107yearoldvirgin**_

**-Cause tricking characters in fanfics is fun!**


	10. Opaque

**A/N: **

**A huge special thank you to Ms_Ambrosia for betaing this at the last minute and doing it in 30 freaking minutes. Insanely awesome! If you haven't read her story **_**Blossom**_**, do it! And the usual thanks to CatMasters and AngelStardust for pre-reading. **

**Also, I just got word that _Hate Me_ was nominated for an All Human award under the "Fanfiction that had you crying with laughter" category. Thank you so much to whoever did that! Insane. I didn't realize people actually laugh at this shit. I'm up against some reaaaally good stories, so it's really any honor. Voting will start on the first of June. **

**For details, go to ****_twilightallhumanawards(.)webs(.)com_**

**

* * *

**

_**Previously...**_

**Bella doubts her plan, but soon snaps out of it (Thank God). She goes over to Edward's place and messes with his bathroom. She overhears him yelling at someone, and when she goes out to see, she realizes she's done for.**

**

* * *

**

**~*OPAQUE*~  
*EDWARD***

I sat on the couch, my knee bobbing up and down as I anxiously waited for Bella to leave the bathroom. She had already been in there for ten minutes, and I was growing impatient.

I had been late meeting her here because of Ninnie #1's last email to me. It was this big ass math problem, and I spent half an hour trying to solve it, before I realized…I SUCK at math. I almost failed that shit in school and my parents had to hire a personal tutor for me just to pass the damn thing.

When I finally gave up on the equation, I remembered my casual date with Bella and drove home as fast as I could. Of course, she was already there. None of my girls ever showed up late to a date with _me_. Though, I had to admit, she looked delicious. All she was wearing were jeans and a black tank, but it was the fact that she was so unaware of her casual beauty that made her more attractive to me at that moment.

Last night, I had told myself that I was going to try to get her into bed early; screw the original plan. So, when my dick bounced to attention at the sight of her, I fully acted on my urges. Yet, she seemed incredibly stiff and wanted to order pizza when I was putting the moves on her. _Pizza_. If a girl had her tongue down _my_ throat, the last thing I'd be thinking about was pizza. But I couldn't push her. I could certainly manipulate her and subtly persuade her into wanting it just as bad as I did, but I definitely couldn't force her. I wanted _her_ to want me.

My second attempt was much more successful. It seemed I found her weak spot: her ears. I fully used that to my advantage to find out some more information about her. But I guess I was _too_ good, because she wasn't even listening to me. I didn't worry though; the feel of my fingers rubbing her pussy through her jeans all but made up for it. And when she said she needed to go to the bathroom to freshen up…I knew I had finally done it.

I was going to sleep with her.

As I led her to the bathroom, she rubbed up on my junk, and then I quickly ran to my night stand to see if I had enough condoms. With all the pent up sexual tension I had, I wasn't going to be satisfied at just one round.

I wanted two rounds.

Three…

…We'd have to see…

My inner thoughts subsided as I realized she'd been in the bathroom nearly twenty minutes. I walked into my bedroom and sat on the bed. I could see a sliver of her shadow moving around in the bathroom from under the door.

_What's she doing in there?_

I quietly made my way to the bathroom door and pressed my ear against the cold wood. She was shuffling stuff around. _Is she going through my drawers?_

Hesitating, I knocked on the door very lightly. "Everything okay in there?" I called out.

Whatever she was doing, she stopped quickly. "Yeah. I'll be out soon."

_Maybe she needs toilet paper._

"Do you need anything?"

"Nope! I'm good!" she said. She sounded way too chipper. She must've been really enjoying her bathroom time…

"Okay, if you need anything, let me know."

"Thanks!"

I pulled away from the door and sat back on the bed…waiting…my dick asking me when she was going to come out and play with him.

_I have no clue…_ I told him.

My conversation with my dick was interrupted when there was a rapid knock on the door. With a big sigh, I stood up, and walked over to the door. If the pizza guy was already here, then that would mean Bella wouldn't want to do anything sexual for a little while.

_I wonder how fast she eats…_

_Maybe I can make her forget about the food._

I opened the door and saw a thin, young, teenaged boy holding a pizza box. He had a hat on, but when he looked up at me, I realized I recognized him. He was that skinny emo boy I toppled over at the grocery store.

My hard-on that had been raging before was now completely softened at the sight of him.

He looked surprised to see me, but then his expression turned almost violent in a split second. "You!" skinny-emo-boy growled.

"Uhhh…yes. Me," I said warily. I looked over my shoulder to see if Bella had come out yet. What the hell was she _doing_?

"I almost got _fired_ cause of you!" he scowled harshly.

I raised an eyebrow. "How could _I _have almost gotten you fired?" I inquired. This kid was nuts. It had to be all that depressing music kids listened to these days with bands where the guys wore makeup. I'd be sad, too, if I had to wear that stuff…

"Because you're such a fucking klutz, you dropped all that shit in the aisle and didn't even pick it up! My boss saw the whole thing and blamed _me_ for making your douchey ass almost fall," he seethed, his fingers digging into the cardboard pizza box. I knew we were going to have to eat skinny-emo-boy finger-imprinted pizza if he didn't stop that.

I snorted pompously. "Well. You _were_ in my way." It was true. If he hadn't been crouched over in the aisle, I could have stalked…er…watched Bella without alarming her to my presence.

In a swift movement, he suddenly opened the pizza box.

"What are you doing?" I asked curiously.

A disgusting sound emitted from the back of his throat as he hocked a loogie.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" I shouted.

"How do you like the spit on your pizza?" he asked with his mouth full of saliva.

My nostrils flared. "If you do that, I won't hesitate to 'almost get you fired' from this job, too."

He swallowed loudly and narrowed his eyes. "You wouldn't fucking dare!"

I gave him a smug smile and nodded. "I would, emo boy. I would."

_Oh shit…I don't have the number to the pizza place, Bella does. _

That thought made me realize that she was still in the goddamn bathroom doing God knows what. If it wasn't anything remotely sexy, I was going to have to start charging her.

He cackled menacingly. "It's not like you haven't had someone else's spit before. I bet you share spit all the time with your _boyfriend_."

I felt my face grow warm. I wasn't against punching a teenage boy, but I was definitely against going to prison. "Just give me the fucking pizza and get outta here," I demanded as I jammed my hand into my pocket to retrieve my wallet.

"Everything okay?"

I looked over my shoulder and saw Bella _finally_ out of the bathroom. Even though I was annoyed she took so long, I tried to give her an unstrained smile to show everything was fine. She walked over to the door and pulled it open further. For a split second, her face broke out into the biggest smile I'd ever seen, but just as quickly, it fell.

"Seth?" she questioned, frowning.

I whipped my head towards him, my neck practically snapping off. When my eyes landed on him, his permanent scowl had turned into a big grin and his dark complexion became completely flushed.

"Hi, Bella…" he greeted bashfully.

_Oh shit…_

"You know him?" I queried a bit too loudly.

Her frown turned into a warm smile. "Hey, kid," she said to him, completely ignoring me. "I forgot you work at the pizza place now."

_This fucking kid seems to work everywhere…_

"Yeah. My bike got stolen by some older kids and I need the extra money to buy a new one," he explained sullenly with a fake pout.

_Oh, give me a break! She wouldn't fall for this crap. _

I let out a quiet snort. Seth immediately flashed his eyes to mine. He looked as if laser beams were going to fly out his pupils and incinerate me.

Bella sighed. "Oh…sweetie." She grabbed the pizza box out of Seth's hands and shoved it into mine, then enveloped him into a big hug.

My mouth practically fell open. I held on tighter to the pizza box, watching them embrace. Seth was taller than her, but he looked really young, no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. He rested his chin on her shoulder and continued to eye me. The corners of his mouth suddenly turned up into a mischievous smile as if he'd won something.

_You little shit! _

Seth pulled back, his face returning to an angelic expression. "Who's he?"

She looked over her shoulder, her hands still on his arms. She seemed conflicted as she answered, "Uh, this is my…friend. Edward."

_Friend_? I wasn't her fucking friend! Wait…what was I?

I nodded curtly at him and looked away, pretending to act bored. "Are we ready to eat now, _babe_?" Yeah, I know I was pushing it with the 'babe' name, but so what?

They both leered at me for a long second, and then returned their attention back to each other.

"How's your mom?" Bella asked him quietly.

"Oh, she's good. She talks about you all the time," he replied.

"Aww. That's sweet. I miss her."

"We all miss you, Bella."

_Fucking shit! _

They weren't even paying attention to me. I could've been prancing around in a glittery gold bikini and they wouldn't have noticed I was here. I realized the only way to get her to remember she was on a date with _me _was to get involved in the conversation, then try to steer it away, so that skinny-emo-boy would get the picture and _leave_.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked Bella, interrupting their quiet exchange.

Her face suddenly drained of all its color and she cleared her throat.

"She used to babysit me," Seth replied, not looking at me at all, but at Bella instead.

Bella turned her head towards me and gave me a weak smile. "I took care of him a lot when I was a teenager…" she trailed off. She suddenly grabbed Seth's arm and pushed him out into the hall. "Seth, why don't we go talk out in the hall for a while."

He practically broke out into song with the expression he had on his face. I, on the other hand, was pissed as fuck.

As she closed the front door behind her, she said, "Uh…I'll be back in a moment. Why don't you set the pizza up?" And then she was gone.

I walked over to the door and pressed my ear up to it, but I could only make out muffled sounds of Bella's voice.

I let out an exasperated sigh and walked into the living room, placing the pizza on the coffee table. Realizing she'd probably want to eat on something, I went into the kitchen and got a couple plates and some napkins. I didn't need the plate myself, but I'd use it just so she didn't think I was a slob.

While I was setting the plates and napkins down, I heard the click of the lock on the front door. I turned around at the sound and smiled, relieved she was back…sans skinny-emo-boy this time, too. _Major bonus._

"Hey," she said, looking upset.

I frowned and stood. Had that little jerk off said something to her? "Hey…everything okay?"

She kept her eyes trained on the floor as she walked inside, appearing flustered. She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder.

_Wait…what's happening?_

"Bella?" I questioned.

She brought a hand up to her forehead and scratched, looking as if she was hesitating to say or do something. "Uh. I have to go."

I furrowed my brow, completely confused. "You barely just got here…" That wasn't exactly true. She had spent ten minutes with me, and almost thirty minutes in the bathroom, totaling in forty full minutes spent in my apartment, but not nearly enough minutes spent with me.

She walked over to the door. "I know."

My face fell at the realization of her leaving. I didn't want her to go…not just yet.

I sprinted to the door before she reached it, and I grabbed her hand, trying to prevent her from walking any further. "Hey…" I breathed. "Don't go. Did something happen?"

"Just a bit of a…family situation," she revealed, still not looking at me.

I sighed and grabbed onto her hand tighter. "Is there anything I can do?"

She looked down at my firm hold on her and slipped her hand out of my grasp. "You can let me go…"

Oh…

"Right." I opened the door for her. As much as I wanted her to stay, and as much as I wanted to help her with whatever was wrong, I didn't want to force her.

She walked out the door and turned around as she entered the hallway. Her eyes locked with mine, and I could see a hint of pity in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head and shrugged, acting as if it meant nothing to me.

She nodded in place of saying goodbye, and walked away. I shut the door and turned around, but didn't move. After standing in the same spot for twenty seconds, I made my way over to my couch and sat down. I flipped open the pizza box and began eating.

Alone…

X-X-X-X

Sitting in my office, I was distracted from my paperwork by a sudden knock on the door.

"Come in," I called out.

The door creaked open and Angela walked in, and then shut the door behind her. I really wasn't in the mood to see anyone, so whatever she wanted, I hoped she'd make it fast.

She walked over to the desk. "Hi, sir. We're about—"

"Edward," I corrected, disgruntled, and returned to my work. "What is it, Angela?"

"We're about to open in ten minutes," she noted.

I nodded, not really paying attention to her.

"Is there anything you need from me?" she asked.

"Nope," I replied, brushing her off. She turned around to leave and opened the door. But then a thought popped into my head. "Actually…" She looked over her shoulder at me, her had on the doorknob. "There might be something."

She released her grip on the knob and walked back over to me. "Sure. What is it?"

Angela seemed like a smart girl. I mean, she certainly looked it. Perhaps she was good at math?

I pulled up the email sent from Touch&Go and pointed to the equation on the screen. "Think you can solve that?" I asked her.

She leaned across the desk and squinted, observing the math problem. "Uhhh…I think so. I was good with Calculus in school." She grabbed a pencil and notepad and began jotting some gibberish down on it.

I wasn't sure why I wanted to know Ninnie #1's age, or even why I cared, but there was something about her that really irked me. If I found out her age, maybe I could slowly find out more about her and use it against her and the club somehow. That would definitely be worth the trouble of a few headache-inducing numbers and symbols.

"Okay, got it," she announced proudly. "You see…you have to start by—"

I quickly snatched the notepad out of her hand and looked at it.

Twenty-five.

She was twenty-five years old? But that would make her…my age. I wasn't sure what to think of it. Did that change how I treated her?

Nah.

I turned on the computer and pulled up my email.

"Okay…well…" Angela said. "I'm gonna go now…"

I waved her off and vaguely heard the click the door closing as I began typing.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: Hope you enjoy Calculus  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:10 PM  
--**_

_**A bit young to be playing in the big leagues, don't you think? **_

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I sent it off, and then stood to stretch. My body was sore from sitting so long. I cleaned up my desk, and was just about to head out to the floor, when my email notification popped up. I sat back down and opened it.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: Hope you enjoy Calculus  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:14 PM  
--**_

**And how old might you be?**

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

Oh. I wasn't expecting that. I didn't know whether to lie to her or be completely honest, but I ended up settling for completely vague.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Hope you enjoy Calculus  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:15 PM  
--**_

**Old enough. **

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

Not a minute later, I received another email. She was probably sitting around, bored from lack of business. I smiled at that thought.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Hope you enjoy Calculus  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:16 PM  
--**_

**Suuuure. The pot calling the kettle black, if you ask me. **

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

I furrowed my brow. So, she had seen me, but I hadn't seen her. Was she watching my every move?

A part of me was cheering triumphantly because that meant that Satyr was doing a better job than Touch&Go, but then another part was a bit weirded out. It felt strangely erotic to know that someone was watching me, but I couldn't see them. Even if that person was my competition.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Hope you enjoy Calculus  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:18 PM  
--**_

**I didn't ask you, but look who's been stalking me! I hoped you liked what you saw. I know most women do.**

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I chuckled. I couldn't help but be a bit cocky. I knew how I appeared to the opposite sex, and I took full advantage of it most of the time. When one had been given looks, they should fully use it.

In the mean time, another email arrived.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: Yawn  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:22 PM  
--**_

**Eh, you're okay. **

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

I frowned.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: Yawn  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:23 PM  
--**_

**You were turned on and you know it. **

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

She had to be lying. No one had ever called me "okay." That wasn't even a word that went well with my name.

"Edward Cullen is okay," I said out loud, testing how it sounded. I wrinkled my nose at the words. That was just blasphemous! No one in their right mind would ever use those words in the same sentence.

No. She was simply crazy.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: Yawn  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:24 PM  
--**_

**I've been more turned on by watching Sesame Street. And that's never.**

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

I snorted, amused, and quickly replied.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: Yawn  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:24 PM  
--**_

**Not even when Ernie takes a bubble bath? **

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I figured she'd get annoyed with my reply and ignore it. So, when I got an email back, I was surprised, and eagerly opened it.

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: Yawn  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:25 PM  
--**_

**Okay, maybe then. **

_**Touch&Go**_

X-X-X-X

I chuckled out loud. So, Ninnie actually had a personality. Too bad she sucked at running clubs.

If she had been watching me, then why hadn't I seen her before? I slightly wondered what she looked like. A blonde, perhaps? Maybe she had long, dark brown hair.

I liked brunettes.

Before I could even think twice about what I was going to say, I sent a reply impulsively.

X-X-X-X

_**From: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle(.)com  
Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: RE: Yawn  
To: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub(.)com  
Date: Mon 3/12/10 7:27 PM  
--**_

**So, when will I get to meet my stalker? **

_**Satyr**_

X-X-X-X

I sat back and waited for a reply. I waited, and waited…and ten minutes later, there still wasn't a reply. I temporarily wondered if I had even sent it, but when I checked my sent folder, I saw that I did.

The door suddenly clicked opened, the energetic, distant sounds of beat-driven club music flowing into the large office. Emmett stood in the doorway wearing a Hugo Boss dark gray suit. "You coming?" he asked. "The doors are open."

I nodded and brought my eyes back to the screen. Still nothing. Figuring Touch&Go was open, too, she would've surely had to exit the email. As it was, I had to tend to my own club, so I quickly logged off and followed Emmett out onto the floor.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Emmett said, stopping me from walking further. "The girls are here."

I quirked an eyebrow. "The girls? What girls?"

He rolled his eyes and slapped my shoulder with the back of his hands. "_The_ girls," he repeated, but I still didn't understand who he meant. "Rose, Bella, and Alice. Who else?"

I instantly stood up a bit straighter, a small smile forming on my lips. "Yeah?" I looked around, trying to see if I could spot them—spot _her_. "Where are they?"

"They're in VIP waiting for us," he said, and nudged me to follow him.

When we arrived, the girls were sitting on the sofa, huddled close. They seemed to do that a lot when they were together. My sight instantly went to Bella, who was nodding at something Rosalie was saying in her ear. Bella was wearing just a simple black strapless dress, but it hugged the subtle curves of her body and clung in all the right places. The skin of her bare arms, shoulders, and chest had a soft glow that shimmered under the dimmed lights, and I had a sudden urge to trail a finger down the expanse of her arm to feel just how soft she looked.

Emmett flopped down on the chair adjacent the couch. "We're glad you girls decided to drop by," Emmett said, but it was mostly directed at Rose.

Rose stood and made a move to sit in Emmett's lap. "We were just sitting at home, bored, and decided to treat ourselves to a night out," Rose told him. The two of them began to kiss and do things that made me uncomfortable with disgust, like brushing their damn noses together.

I took a seat in another chair that was placed adjacent to the opposite end of the sofa, near Bella. Because Rose and Emmett were directly in my line of sight, groping all over each other, I turned my body to face Alice and Bella. Alice was staring down at her phone, texting, and Bella was actually looking directly at me, a serious expression on her face.

I wanted to give her a smile, but I was honestly confused as to how to treat her, especially after earlier when she completely bailed on me. The whole thing was just strange, and I really wanted an explanation from her on why she had left so quickly.

I was _still_ full from eating half of that pizza by myself. Emmett had found the other half later and ate the rest, plus ordered a second one without notifying me. I found the two pizza boxes in the trash later.

Bella cast a sideways glance at Emmett and Rose, who were still engrossed in each other, and then, as if following their lead, she stood and walked the short distance over to me. She hesitated a moment before she gingerly sat herself sideways on my lap. I immediately leaned back in my chair, unsure of what to do with my hands and, quite frankly, completely taken aback by the gesture. She wrapped her arms around my neck as her brown eyes bored into mine.

"I'm sorry," she uttered quietly.

I wasn't able to think of a reply to that, so I merely shrugged in question.

"About earlier," she clarified, her warm hands cupping the back of my neck. "I really wanted to stay, but I couldn't. I hope you understand."

She wasn't exactly telling me what happened. It was just a scrambled version of the excuse she told me earlier.

"That doesn't explain why you left," I pointed out, finding my voice.

She sighed and leaned into me a little. "It's not really important. I just had to take care of something at home."

I furrowed my brow. "You said it had to do with family," I noted.

She nodded. "My family home." She began massaging and rubbing the back of my neck, my tense muscles relaxing at her touch instantly.

"Oh," was all I could manage, forgetting what we were discussing as her knuckles kneaded into the flesh of my neck. It felt amazing…soothing even…and I was almost tempted to purr as I began to close my eyes…

"HEY!" I heard yelled in my ear.

I jarred my eyes open and found Emmett hovering over my chair, right in my face. "What the fuck?" I exclaimed in a groggy daze.

"You conked out, bro," he said with a smug smile and went back to his chair with Rose in it.

I rubbed my eyes a bit and looked at my lap. Bella wasn't sitting there anymore. In fact, she wasn't even in the VIP section. Had I really fallen asleep?

"Where's Bella?" I asked, sitting up straighter.

"Don't worry," Rose assured with a smirk. "Ms. Magic Hands went to the bathroom."

"Magic hands?" I questioned, rubbing the back of my neck.

"She puts us all to sleep with her massages," Alice explained, giggling. "I remember one time, Rose couldn't sleep one night, and Bella gave her a massage and within ten minutes, she was out, and didn't wake up for the next thirteen hours."

Rose gasped. "That's not true!" she exclaimed. "It was only twelve."

Alice snorted cynically and went back to texting on her phone. "Whatever, Rose."

"So, how long was I out?" I asked.

"About ten minutes," Emmett revealed and laughed.

_Shit…_

Even though I had passed out in an uncomfortable chair, I had felt completely relaxed. She must've really had magic hands. And I began to wonder what else she could do with those hands…

"Anyone want drinks?" Emmett asked us, to which the girls responded to immediately.

"I'll get them," I offered, and stood. "I need to get up and walk around anyway."

"Yeah, try not to fall asleep again," Rose joked.

I ignored her and made my way over to the bar, which had a full crowd of people surrounding it, shoulder to shoulder. I smiled knowingly. Most of the people in the crowd were men, and they were surely trying to hang around just to see our female bar staff in their attire, which were dark jeans and low cut halter tops that bared almost half of their stomach. A lot of the girls we hired had belly button piercings or very large breasts. Instant business.

I squeezed through the crowd and signaled to the closest bartender, my newly hired employee, Gianna. She gave me a smile and made her way over to me from behind the bar. In the mean time, I looked around for Bella, wondering if she'd made it out of the bathroom yet or not.

"What can I get for you, boss?"

I turned to Gianna and noticed she was leaning over the bar counter on her forearms, her cleavage busting through her top even more than it would've if she were standing up straight. They were pretty large, definitely a D cup. I wondered briefly if they were real or fake.

"See something you like?" she asked in a provocative tone.

My eyes flickered up to hers and I cleared my throat. I was about to tell her what drinks to make for me, when a hand suddenly grazed against my back. I turned to my left and saw a large man staring at Gianna's tits and wondered if he had just touched me…and whether or not that was his hand…

"Hey, over here."

I turned at the voice and saw Bella on my right with a playful grin, which caused me to match it. "Hey, you're out of the bathroom," I noted, leaning into her so she could hear me over the music.

"And you woke up from your nap," she teased, and laughed.

I grabbed her hands and brought them up to my lips, kissing her knuckles one by one. "You and your hands."

She placed them on my chest and rubbed softly, her fingers raking up and down every so often. "I didn't see you complaining." She had a glint in her eye that made me go back to wondering what else she could do with her wonderful hands. Maybe massage my cock? Oh yes, I'd have to get her to do that.

"Mr. Cullen?" I heard a woman call.

Reluctantly, I tore my eyes from Bella's and turned my head towards the bar. One of my bartenders, Jane, was staring straight at me.

"The new girl said she had a problem and told me to tell you that she needed to speak to you," Jane said. "She's waiting in your office."

I nodded and Jane went back to work. Returning my sight back to Bella, I noticed she was frowning a bit. "I should go see what's up," I told her, and tucked her soft hair behind her ear, making sure to run my fingertips along the side of her neck.

"No problem," she assured. "I'll see you back in VIP?"

"Yep," I told her and kissed her forehead. She made her way through the crowd, and I followed her for a bit, until we both separated, her walking back to the table, and me on the path to my office.

I looked over my shoulder and saw her sit down in the chair I had occupied before, a pretty smile lighting up her face as she conversed with her friends. Even though I had fallen asleep, I was really glad I got to see Bella again, especially after what happened earlier at my place. I didn't want anything to be weird between us.

When I reached the door to my office, it was closed, so I swung it wide open. Gianna was sitting casually atop my desk, her long legs crossed as she read one of the music magazines I usually had lying on my desk.

I fully entered and approached her. "What is it, Gianna?" I asked.

She didn't lift her eyes from the magazine. "Was that brunette your girlfriend?" Gianna asked coolly, flipping a page.

I nearly choked on my own spit. "What?! No! No…She…" I fumbled "She's not my…" What was she? "…girlfriend…"

No, she definitely wasn't my girlfriend to _me_, but perhaps Bella thought of me as her boyfriend. After all, it had been my plan to get her to trust me and think I was faithful to her, so it would've only been natural for me to _act_ like I was her boyfriend.

Gianna set the magazine down pointedly and hopped off the desk, her tits bouncing in her halter top. "Good." She placed a hand on my chest and backed me up against the wall. "Cause I saw you staring at my tits earlier," Gianna purred.

_Oh hell…_

I grabbed her wrist and took her hand off my chest. "If I did, I didn't mean to, I assure you." I mean, they were right there, big and…_big. _How could anyone _not _looking at them?

I made a move to get past her, but she placed her hand back on my chest.

"I can tell when a man wants me, Mr. Cullen, and I _know_ that you do," she breathed as she trailed a finger down my stomach and past my torso. In an instant, she dropped to her knees and began trying to undo my pants hurriedly.

"What are you doing?!" I choked out, trying to grab her by the arms to bring her back up.

She had successfully gotten my zipper down, when someone cleared their throat. Gianna stopped her movements, and we both looked towards the doorway.

Bella was leaning against the frame of the door, staring at us with her arms crossed over her chest and a blank expression on her face.

_SHIT! _

Gianna quickly stood and actually looked embarrassed.

_Oh __**now**__ you want to act all fucking shy, even though you just tried to molest my cock. _

"Um…I'm just gonna…" she trailed off, and practically bolted out of the office.

Bella and I continued to stare at one another, both of us refusing to blink, challenging each other. I was completely in shock, to be honest. I had absolutely no idea what to say to her. Chances were that she'd get the wrong idea, but I didn't have a clue how to explain the situation to her.

I knew I had to try, though.

I zipped up my pants forcefully. "Bella…I—" I started before she cut me off.

"Save it, Edward," she said, and walked inside the office. She didn't seem upset for some reason. She appeared sad, but not angry, like I expected. "I saw what happened."

I swallowed hard. Was this it for us? Would she leave here tonight and I'd never see her again? For a reason I couldn't understand, that really didn't sit well with me. It seemed like we had just met, and now she was going to run out of my life.

I didn't want that. Not yet. Not now.

"Bella, I know what that looked like…" I tried to say.

She came closer to me, her arms slipping down to her sides. "I told you I saw what happened. You don't need to explain."

I raised an eyebrow. Did she mean that she saw what happened so it was okay, or that I didn't need to explain because it was a lost cause?

My expression was probably a mixture of bewilderment and fear, because she suddenly chuckled lightly, even though it didn't reach her eyes at all.

"I know she threw herself on you. It wasn't your fault," she clarified.

It took a moment for me to absorb what she just said, but when I did, I let out a sigh of relief, though I was still hesitant. She didn't appear to be totally okay with it. I reached up and brushed her cheek with the back of my knuckles. "I'm sorry that happened," I whispered.

For a few seconds, we continued to stare at each other. Her brown eyes were glistening, and I wondered if she was going to cry. Something deep within me panged at that thought.

Suddenly, she pulled away and moved towards the doorway. "Come back outside when you're ready." She looked over her shoulder. "Okay?"

I nodded and looked down at the ground. When I looked back up, she was gone, leaving me to ponder what just happened.

If she was okay with it…why did she seem so sad? But more importantly…why was I?

* * *

**A/N:**

**Eep. Feeling sorry for him now? I'm dying to know.**

**Many of you didn't know who was at the door, and only _one_ of my reviewers actually got it right. Otherwise, the rest of you thought it was Jasper. :-p Maybe next time. **

**You're probably wondering when Schemeward will venture into his bathroom for a little chocolate syrup shampoo indulgence. I'll just say that he's a morning person. *evil laugh***

**Follow me on twitter: xrxdanixrx**


	11. Blur

**A/N**

**I'm a bit blown away because **_**Hate Me**_** was not only nominated for an A/H award, but also a Giggle/Snort Award. I confess, I had no idea what a Giggle/Snort award was until I got a message saying I'd been nominated for "Best Overall," oops! lol. So, if you like this story overall, why not nominate it for best overall at the G/S awards. The more nominations, the more likely it is to get to the next round. Deadline ends tomorrow! Gah!**

**gigglesnortawards(.)mmmboptastic(.)com**

**Thanks to my pre-reader Irish-Sidheseer for being awesome. :-) This chapter is unbeta'd for now, so any mistakes here are mine.

* * *

**

_**Previously...**_

**Edward meets someone from Bella's past which has Bella a little more than worried. Edward is a bit confused how to act when he sees her at his club later, but all is mostly okay, until one of his employees makes a move on him, causing him to question himself.

* * *

  
**

**~*BLUR*~  
*BELLA***

**_SEVENTEEN YEARS OLD – SENIOR YEAR_  
**

_Why am I here? _

_Cause it's your senior year and you've basically gone through four damn years of high school as a hermit. _

_Oh…right._

I walked through the rooms of the regal mansion, rap music and shouting blaring in my ears. I'd already been here for an hour and forty minutes, and I still couldn't figure out what I was supposed to do…except drink.

What exactly did people do at parties like these?

All week there had been talk of a crazy party. People would randomly shout, "Party at Cullen's – Friday night!" Throughout the four years of my reserved high school existence, I'd never thought twice about going to one of the wild parties my class got involved in. I had Jazz to hang out with, and that was enough.

On nights when we knew there was a party, we'd go to his house, order two boxes of stuffed crust cheese pizza from Pizza Hut, and watch Jerry Springer. We always prayed it'd be an episode where a guy found out his new girlfriend was really a transgender man, or some fourteen year old girl was pregnant with her boyfriend's sister's baby daddy's aunt's neighbor's plumber]s child who actually turned out to be the boyfriend's long lost brother.

I'd never had the desire to leave my little tight knit duet, but…I don't know…maybe it was because I was a senior now and hadn't had many social experiences, but I felt the need to step out a little, to take a bit of a chance.

So, here I was, alone, partially intoxicated, standing in a big house with a bunch of people I'd never even conversed with. And this was no ordinary big house. Oh no. This house belonged to the parents of Edward Cullen.

_Edward Cullen._

Even his name alone sounded like pure sex in my head.

It was no secret that Edward was one of the most popular boys in school and sought after by almost every girl. Unfortunately, and unknowingly, I was one of those pathetic girls. But I couldn't help myself! He was just so gorgeous, and sexy, and…

_UGH! Get a grip, Isabella. _

See, the thing was, Edward Cullen barely—if not at all—knew who I was. Even though we had lots of classes together and would be partnered up occasionally, he never even acknowledged my existence, other than those times we were forced to communicate. I was fairly certain he didn't even know my name. Yet…I still craved him.

_Oh, how I torture myself._

Continuing to take in my surroundings, I located the exact mop of messy dark hair I had been thinking of less than a minute prior. My heart fluttered at how together and how blasé he was…and he was just walking, for Christ's sake. So…_hot._

I followed him with my glazed over eyes as he threw an empty beer can in the trash and casually slipped into a room. Looking around, I noticed everyone was either laughing obnoxiously at something, or making out with someone. Except Edward…

_Why isn't he with anyone?_

Normally, he _always_ had a girl. Every month it'd be someone new. He had gone through most of the girls in school…but not me. Why not me?

_Because you're invisible, Isabella. _

_Oh…right. _

But I so wanted it to be me! As demeaning and shameful as that sounded, I _wanted_ to be Edward's girl. I constantly dreamed of what it would be like to have Edward look at me the way he looked at half of the girls in school. But alas, I was just some transparent, ripped up jeans wearing, Saturday morning cartoon watching loser who would draw her feelings with colored pencils named Midnight Sea Blue or Pleasant Time Teal or…Booger Green.

If I had one wish before leaving high school, it would have been to leave for college knowing that Edward had been mine…at least for a second…or two...or _FOREVER_.

With that greedy image burned in my mind, I found myself stumbling towards the door he had disappeared behind. Every ounce of courage I had seemed to bubble up inside me and shoot out through my arm and to my hand as I knocked on the wooden door. After three knocks, the handle turned and the door flew open.

"I'll be out in just a minute, then it's all your—" Edward had begun to say, until he saw me. He slowly cocked an eyebrow. "Hello…?"

I stared at him with a blank expression. Even though my hands had the courage to knock, my mouth didn't seem to have the courage to talk.

"Uhhh…" he fumbled. "Did you need the bathroom or something?"

_Crap, what do I do? _

I had no clue what to say to this piece of man meat with beautiful jade eyes, flawless skin, and kissable pink lips…

Finally, I found some words, even if they were a bit slurred. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to you."

He furrowed his brow. "Me?" he questioned. "Okay…"

I walked past him into the bathroom, briefly taking in the marble floor and expensive state of the art shower.

"In here?" he inquired.

I nodded.

He looked around nervously, and then quickly shut the door.

I sighed knowingly. He was embarrassed to be seen with me. It wasn't like I was Miss Popularity. I was Loner Swan. I doubted anyone knew what I even looked like since I was the girl whose bangs practically covered her face.

"So, what is it?" he asked, looking directly at me, appearing eager to leave.

I took a deep breath…and then I couldn't contain myself any longer. I launched at him full force, my lips colliding with his, teeth clattering, while my hands locked tightly around his strong neck.

"MmmphIsabella!" he exclaimed against my mouth.

I continued my fierce attack and tried to force his mouth to move against mine by sucking on his bottom lip, but he pushed me away forcefully, causing me to stumble back into the wall.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?! he barked, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"I…I…" I stuttered, completely stunned at what had just happened. "I just wanted to see what it was like."

"What it was like? What are you talking about?" he seethed, his eyes turning into slits.

"What you were like…"

He became completely still, his face draining of any color.

"I just wanted to be with you…just once," I admitted. I wasn't sure where the courage to say all this was coming from. Maybe it had something to do with being in a small bathroom with Edward...

"You don't know what you're talking about," he spat, staring daggers at me.

I took in a shaky breath and moved away from the wall, inching closer to him. "Yes, I do."

He shook his head, attempting to take a step back, but his back collided with the wall. "No, you don't."

I came right up to him, looking straight up into his eyes. "Yes…I do." In a swift movement, I fell to my knees on the tiled floor and began to unbutton his jeans quickly and aggressively. I just reached for his zipper to tug down, when he grabbed my wrist harshly and yanked me to my feet.

"ISABELLA!" he roared. He looked taken aback by his outburst, and began to look around the bathroom, even though the door was closed and no one else was with us.

"Why won't you let me—" I began to ask.

"Don't!" he whisper-yelled, and released my wrist. "Get out of here, Isabella."

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused.

"Please…leave," he repeated, agitation on his face.

"But…I'm offering myself to you," I said, bewildered. "I was ready to get on my knees and give you head, for crying out loud!" My tone was becoming louder. "I would've taken off my clothes and let you fuck me any way you wanted!" I was beginning to shriek. "And you're telling me to go?!"

He stared at me wide eyed, shocked at my tone. But then, in an instant, his eyes narrowed and his expression turned hard and cold. "I don't want you."

My breath hitched. "What?" I whispered.

"I don't want you, Isabella Swan!" he shouted. He flung open the door, and walked out, leaving me alone.

I stared at the spot he had just occupied, my eyes glazing over.

I had offered myself to him…and he rejected me. The only girl he'd ever rejected.

_I don't want you, Isabella Swan._

_I don't want you, Isabella Swan._

_I don't want you, Isabella Swan._

_I don't want you, Isabella Swan._

The words repeated over and over in my head…refusing to stop…taunting me…_mocking_ me.

My blood began to boil, my skin feeling the need to explode. I grabbed the closest thing I could find—a fancy glass toothbrush holder--and smashed it against the wall, a loud crack echoing inside the room. The shattered glass crunched beneath me as I stumbled out of the bathroom and into the bustling flood of people, drunk off their faces, and I began to run until I reached the front door.

_One day, Edward. One day, I'll fucking bring you to your knees. _

X-X-X-X_  
_

_**PRESENT DAY **_

As a few tears streamed down my cheek, I walked back onto the club floor with that memory still etched in my mind. Seeing that woman on her knees, wanting to pleasure Edward, while he fought against her, brought back that scarring memory in full force. Me…on my knees…wanting Edward to be mine.

Oh yes, I knew that hussy threw herself at Edward. I wasn't completely daft. Plus, I saw the whole exchange with my own eyes. A normal woman would've misinterpreted the situation, but not me. No, I knew Edward didn't go for those big-titted whores whose only talents were to suck dicks. But, what I did know was if that woman had been a bit classier, maybe shy, quiet, broken…then she would've been his type in a heartbeat.

This, I believe, was my mistake back in high school. I had thrown myself at Edward like a cheap slut on Happy Hour Tuesday's. I had offered myself up as if I were some hookerish buffet. I now knew the reason why he had rejected me in the first place…it was pity. He pitied Isabella Loner Swan for being so fucking pathetic. And now, because of that little peep show in his office, I could see perfectly what I had looked like to him.

Did I still hate him now that I figured out his motives behind rejecting me?

Fuck yes.

In fact, even though that trashy chick had tried to seduce Edward, I actually understood where she was coming from. To many, Edward was irresistible. He was good looking, charming, and he had the whole "I'm here for you" act down pat. How was it some woman's fault for thinking he was great when he appeared to be exactly like that? But they didn't know that it was all a lie. And what a lie it was. It was an absolutely deceitful, insulting, bunch of bullshit.

"Hey, you okay?" Rose asked as I sat back down in the VIP section.

"Mmhmm," I hummed, not offering any of them a smile.

Rose and Alice knew me too well to know that I wasn't okay. I wasn't planning to keep what happened a secret from them, either, but Emmett was there, and it could risk everything I'd already set into motion. After all, Edward was his brother.

"Where the hell is Edward?" Emmett asked no one in particular, completely oblivious to the worried looks Alice and Rose were casting me. "That ass said he was getting drinks." Emmett looked over his shoulder and then abruptly stood in a frenzy. "Uh oh…I'll be back." And with that, he walked swiftly away from us.

Rose and Alice took advantage of his absence and both scooted down the couch closer to me.

"Alright, what happened?" Rose asked. "Did those Go-Go dancing bimbos upset you that much? Because I'm about ready to find a sharp object and deflate their on-sale tits."

I chuckled humorlessly and shook my head. The new addition of the Go-Go dancers in the club were tacky, yes, but they were the furthest thing from my mind at the moment.

"You said you were going to find Edward, and now you come back like this," Alice said, gesturing to me with her hand.

I sighed and moved my head in closer to them. "Let's just say that I had a bit of a blast from the past moment…" I mused.

Rose began to fume. "What did that dickface do?" she questioned accusingly.

"Shh! Let her talk," Alice snapped at Rose.

"I _am_ letting her talk! I asked her a question, and now she's gonna answer it," Rose countered.

"You've wasted about thirty seconds with your questioning," Alice noted.

"And what about you?" Rose queried, her tone rising. "You're wasting time telling me I'm wasting time—"

"Stop," I whined, annoyed. "Goddamnit…" I brought a hand up to my head and rubbed my temple, suddenly experiencing a headache.

"We're sorry," Alice said, though Rose didn't seem to like that Alice had spoken for her because she then elbowed her, which Alice replied to with a stern look.

I rolled my eyes and sat up straighter, then briefly recounted what I saw. They listened and made expressions of disgust.

"I knew these hooter whores where sleeping with them," Rose accused, looking pissed.

"Them?" Alice questioned.

"Emmett and Edward," Rose replied.

"I never said anything about Emmett sleeping with them, and I never even said that _Edward_ was sleeping with anyone here," I clarified. "Don't put words into my mouth."

"Since when do you defend him?" Rose asked suspiciously.

I laughed darkly. "I'm not defending the bastard." I would _never_ defend him in a million years.

Alice grabbed both of my hands and molded it to hers. "Don't think about what happened back in high school. That was then," she advised. "Just focus on now."

"Wow," Rose said in awe. "Might Alice actually be jumping on the Edward revenge bandwagon?"

I smiled for the first time since I'd left to go find Edward. Alice returned the smile and leaned back against the couch. "Maybe," she said casually. "He's sort of a dick, anyway. Especially if he, without knowing it, made our Bella cry."

Emmett and Edward suddenly came back into the VIP section in a flurry, both looking a bit frazzled. Emmett sat down in the chair he had been occupying before, but Rose made no move to return to his lap.

Edward immediately walked over to me and grabbed my wrist, pulling me up. "Can we talk?" he asked me, but didn't bother waiting for me to reply in protest. He practically dragged me away from our sitting area and to a quieter spot in the section.

I removed my arm from his hold as we stopped, and I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to keep a distance between us. When I finally looked at him, his expression was a mixture of sadness and anger. "What?" I asked a bit snippy. I hadn't meant for it to come off like that, but my voice seemed to be just as annoyed as I actually was, and I couldn't control it.

He moved his hands to rest on my arms, but then quickly dropped it and scratched the back of his neck. "I'm really sorry," he said, remorse evident in his expression.

"You already said that," I reminded him. "And I told you it was fine."

"I know," he said, "but I feel like I need to explain to you—"

"You don't need to explain anything," I interrupted.

He seemed somewhat nervous as he began to shift on his feet a bit. "Look," he started. "She…" He pushed his hands into his pockets, as if looking for security, and appeared even more saddened. "There's no one else."

I furrowed my brow and tightened my arms across my chest, but didn't answer him. I wasn't sure what he was saying. Did he mean that none of his other staff members had tried to get in his pants? Because I found that hard to believe.

"I mean, I'm not seeing anyone else…that is, I'm not interested in anyone else," he explained in a low voice. He seemed to be analyzing my face as I remained despondent. "I fired Gianna."

_This_ I had no problem responding to. "You what?" I asked incredulously. "Why did you do that?"

He laughed cynically. "She was my employee and she crossed a line."

_Wow, so now he doesn't just ruin people's hearts, he ruins their careers, their lives. _

"Anyway," he added, and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She definitely got her say in before she left." He shook his head, getting lost in his own thoughts, and then brought down his hand to undo my arms that were practically about ready to snap off from being crossed so tightly around my chest. I let him delicately hold my hands in his. "Are we okay?"

I nodded as an auto response, but things weren't okay. Not in the least. Were things ever really okay between us? Since I had met him again as an adult, it seemed like it hadn't and never would, which gave me all the more incentive to make sure I finished him off good when the time came.

He gave me a small smile and led me by the hand back to our group, who were trying hard not to look as if they hadn't been eyeing us. Edward sat back down in his chair, and I took a seat next to Alice on the couch. Edward seemed a bit thrown by this, as if he was expecting me to hop back in his lap, but then relaxed and brought his ankle up to rest on his knee.

In the mean time, one of their hookerish bartenders brought some drinks over to us.

"Finally!" Emmett exclaimed, taking a big swig of his drink. "Last time I let you get the drinks."

Edward chuckled and rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man."

Alice, who had taken up texting in her phone again, suddenly began to curse softly, which only I could hear. "No!" she whispered-yelled to her phone.

"What the hell is going on with you?" I asked her quietly.

She looked up at me briefly, panic-stricken, and then went back to texting. My phone suddenly made noises, indicating I had a text. I reached inside my purse and took it out.

_**Jasper is coming in here! I couldn't stop him! **_

_**-Alice**_

My eyes widened. I looked out towards the dance floor and immediately spotted Jasper making his way over to us. _SHIT!_

Oh, what fucking timing.

_SHIT!_

Why did he have to come in here _now?!_

_FUCK!_

I leaned over and whispered as quietly as I could in Alice's ear, "You need to distract him in any way you can. He doesn't know that Edward doesn't remember me from high school." I pulled away and Alice nodded, but she also looked sort of excited.

Jasper was getting closer and closer and no one, save for me, knew he was nearing. Edward looked over at me, worry lining his expression.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You seem a bit jumpy."

I looked at him, hoping I didn't appear terrified. "No, I'm good."

There were a few things that could happen with Jasper present. Edward could somehow bring up the fact that Jasper and I dated, even though we didn't, which would confuse the hell out of Jasper. It would, in turn, show that I lied about my supposed broken heart, which had given Edward ammunition to take me on as his next girl in the first place. But there was something else that I was more scared of over that. Jasper could try to take a walk down memory lane with Edward and then, in the process, reveal who I actually was. The worst part was, this was the only thing I felt I had no control over.

"Hello, hello," Jasper called out jovially as he walked into the VIP section.

Edward, who had been watching me, whipped his head to Jasper. His expression wasn't exactly what I expected. I had expected him to be confused, uncertain even. But he seemed angry…no…he seemed absolutely infuriated. His knuckles turned white as he grabbed on tightly to the armrests of the chair and stared Jasper down as if he was the next Anti-Christ.

"Jasper!" Alice exclaimed excitedly and nervously. "Come sit by me."

I was too panicked to even question when Alice and Jasper started talking and texting each other.

Jasper walked around the couch, passing Edward on the way. Edward followed his movement, eyeing him like he was scum of the earth. What had gotten into him? And it got even worse when Jasper planted himself right smack in between Alice and me.

"Well, hello to you, too," Jasper said sarcastically to me.

I took my eyes off Edward and looked at Jasper, who had a raised eyebrow. "Oh, uhh," I fumbled, distracted. "Hey, how are you?" I tried to sound as normal as possible.

"Yeah, I'm good," he responded. "Alice said you were here, so I thought I'd stop by."

Alice suddenly shrunk back against the couch, and I flashed her a quick dirty look. "Did she?" I asked rhetorically.

Emmett cleared his throat dramatically, causing us to turn our heads. I realized that he had absolutely no clue who Jasper was. For all he knew, some weird ass guy had just came by and flopped down next to us.

"Oh!" I exclaimed in realization. "Emmett, this is Jasper Whitlock. Jasper, this is Emmett Cullen."

"Cullen?" Jasper questioned, and looked and Edward, who was remaining strangely quiet, then back at Emmett. A look of familiarity flashed across Jasper's face. "Oh, yeah! Dude, I remember seeing your picture hang in the trophy case in high school. You're a legend."

My eyes flashed up to Emmett's. Emmett had gone to our school? Why hadn't he noticed me? And why didn't I remember him?

_That's probably because he's older than Edward. _

That was true. He most likely had been in high school when I was still in middle school.

Emmett smiled cockily and nodded knowingly. "Yeah," he agreed. "Good times. I don't play football anymore, unfortunately."

"Ah," Jasper said, "that sucks." He suddenly looked at me and smiled brightly. "Hey, remember that time we—"

"Jasper!" Alice yelled out, interrupting him and gaining all our attention, the tension in my body beginning to waver. "Let's dance."

_Oh, thank the Lord for Alice_.

Jasper furrowed his brow in confusion. "What?"

Alice stood and yanked his arm to stand with her. "Yeah, let's go!" She hauled him off without him putting up much of a fight, and I sighed in relief, realizing I just avoided a disaster—at least for now—until he returned. And that was when I prayed that Alice would jump his bones or something to make him forget to come back over here.

I turned my attention towards Edward, who I hadn't acknowledged in over ten minutes, and saw that he was staring out across the club, a frown on his face. I looked at what he was watching so intently, and realized he was glaring at Jasper. "Hey," I said to him, trying to distract him.

He tore his eyes away and onto mine. I offered him a smile, and he slowly returned it, seeming to relax a bit now. I knew I would get a shit kicking from Jasper over this, but it was more important for me to distract Edward, so I stood and settled onto his lap like earlier, sidesaddle. He held his breath for a second, taken off guard, but then wrapped his arms around my waist as he stared up at me.

"Just keep your magic hands in front of you where I can see them," Edward teased. "I don't want to fall asleep again." I laughed and nestled into Edward, resting my head against his shoulder. "Or you could just fall asleep on me."

_Been there, done that,_ I thought to myself, remembering my first date with Edward.

"They abandoned us," Edward whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver at the warmth of his hot breath.

"Who?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Rose and Emmett."

I turned my head the slightest and saw that both the couch and the chair were vacant, and I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I muttered. _Thanks a lot, Rose. Some friend you are, sticking by me. _

"Better for us," he noted, and began rubbing my back in small circles. "Tell me something."

"Tell you what?" I asked, feeling comfort in the warmth of my body pressed up against his.

"Anything," he replied. "Just tell me something about yourself."

"Hmm," I hummed in thought, and sat up straighter to look down at him. What could I tell him that wouldn't give away too much about me? "I have a soft spot for Will Smith movies." At least that wasn't a lie.

He chuckled. "Really?" he questioned.

"What can I say? I'm a fan of the big ears."

He smiled and began rubbing my thighs absentmindedly, but I sure as hell noticed, and so did my dampening panties. "One of my favorite movies of his is _Enemy of the State_."

"Yes!" I exclaimed in agreement. "He was _brilliant_ in that. He had to be, especially if he was going to be acting alongside Gene Hackman."

"Surprisingly," Edward started, "they complimented each other. Will Smith wasn't just a tool used for comedy relief, he displayed versatility in the movie, as well."

"Agreed," I said with a smile. "So, you're a conspiracy theorist?"

He chuckled. "No," he assured. "I just like those types of movies that make you think." He reached up and moved my hair off my shoulder and behind my back. He began to fiddle with the ends of my hair. "What about you?"

"I do, too," I replied, and then slid up further on his lap, my ass grazing into, what felt like, a very prominent erection. If he felt any sort of pleasure by me doing that, he sure didn't show it, which provoked my next move. "But sometimes, I really don't want to think." I placed my hands on either side of his face, rubbing the stubble of his jaw with the pads of my thumbs. "Like now." I leaned down and brushed my lips over his lightly, my mouth tingling and sending prickly sensations throughout my entire body. I kissed his lips chastely a few times. He didn't respond, and I wondered why, until his hands found their way back to my thighs. He continued to rub, but this time, a bit higher than before, his fingertips grazing the hem of my dress every so often.

He began to now respond, meeting my lips for short pecks, which then turned into a slightly open mouthed slow kiss that was both sweet and savory all at the same time. I slid my hands up to his hair, tangling my fingers in his soft auburn locks. As our lips continued their dance, I rubbed his scalp obliviously.

"Mmm," he moaned against my lips and pulled away a bit, the corners of his mouth tugging up. "You really _are_ trying to put me to sleep."

I chuckled. "I'm not." At least, I wasn't this time. Last time, he had been poking his nose in my business, so I had to take action. Massaging was definitely my weapon.

"Well, if you want to continue that, at least let me take you to my bed where I'm free to fall asleep without looking like an idiot," he suggested mischievously.

Before I had time to even digest what he offered, an agitated throat cleared behind me, and I reluctantly turned my head around. Jasper was standing alone a few feet away with a volatile expression on his face. It seemed he wasn't sure who to be angry at, me or Edward, because his eyes kept bouncing back and forth between us. Edward buried his face in my neck, and I could hear him quietly chuckle. Jasper's eyes finally settled on mine.

"Bella," he addressed. "Can I please speak with you?"

"No, I'm good," I told him, really trying to play up the innocent act he was used to.

"I think she's okay here with me, Jasper," Edward spoke. It was the first time he even acknowledged Jasper verbally this entire evening.

"I really didn't ask you," Jasper countered.

_Oh shit. _

An angry Jasper was _rare_. I had only seen a handful of angry Jasper's in my lifetime. Like the time I forgot to feed his sea monkey's while he was on a week long vacation with his parents. Or the time I had walked in on him wanking up a storm to a Buffy the Vampire Slayer poster. Yeah…that wasn't very fun.

"Well, she said no, so, there's your answer," Edward shot, his controlled exterior beginning to slip. His hand took on a vice grip on my thigh.

And an angry Edward didn't seem to be all that better, even though I'd only ever witnessed it once before. It was as if they were both staking their claims, throwing their wooden clubs in the air. I almost ducked, preparing myself to be clobbered over the head by one of them. Club the Swan first and win a prize: an inflated dick to piss all over her with!

"Bella knows how to speak for herself," Jasper seethed. "I've been witnessing it first hand much longer than you have."

"Yeah, and _clearly _you did a bang up job there."

_Uh oh…_

And this was where it would start to turn dangerous if I didn't rein it in right now, and fast.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jasper questioned, his tone rising exponentially.

"Jazz," I interrupted, breaking him from his staring match with Edward. I could feel Edward's breathing unstable against my body. "Can we just talk later?"

Jasper's brow was furrowed and his hands were balled into fists. "That's all you say lately," he remarked. "So, I'm guessing you're dating _Edward Cullen_ now?" His emphasis on his full name didn't go unnoticed by me. He was saying everything he needed to with those two words. He was reminding me of who I was dealing with.

I wanted to say that no, we weren't dating, but that would've given Edward all sorts of mixed signals, and I really couldn't afford that right now, especially with how far I'd come with him in such a short span of time.

"Is that a problem?" Edward questioned haughtily in return, leaning back in the chair. He brought his arms up and placed them on the arm rests, his demeanor equal to that of a wealthy King sitting on his jeweled throne.

Jasper looked entirely fed up, and I could tell he was on his last rope. "Bella, you fucking come here right now," he urged, pointing to the spot in front of him.

"Hey!" Edward growled. "You don't speak to her like that!" He began to stand up, with me still in his lap. Caught off guard, I almost toppled over, but stood up quickly, righting myself. Before this went any further, I pushed Edward back down in the chair. He looked up at me with anger and something else I couldn't describe, something I hadn't seen in his eyes before.

"Stop," I told him sternly as if he were a child, because that was what they both were acting like, to be honest. I spun around and stalked over to Jasper. "You need to leave."

"What?" he whispered. "I'm not leaving you with that crazy ass possessive shithead. What the fuck is the matter with him, anyway?"

I wasn't really sure. I hadn't ever witnessed this type of behavior from Edward before. I wondered if he was like this with all the women he had coerced. "It doesn't matter. Please leave." I began to push him to go.

He pushed against me, and unfortunately, he was stronger than me, so he won hands down, staying rooted in his spot. "You're too good for someone like that, Bella. He's not right for you. Why would you set yourself up to get hurt?" he asked all paternal-like suddenly. "Remember Jessica Stanley?"

I looked away and sighed. "Yes," I replied in a bored matter.

"They went out and then he broke it off with her and she moped around the school for two months. Whenever she'd see Edward with someone new, she'd break down, and he didn't even give a shit!"

I also happened to know that Jessica Stanley gave plenty of blow jobs to the entire football team immediately after she "dated" Edward. Yeah, she _definitely_ was mourning the demise of their relationship.

"Remember Emily?" he added, searching my face with a softness in his eyes.

My face suddenly drained of all its color, and I felt sick to my stomach. If I had eaten something substantial for dinner, it probably would've ended up on the floor right now.

Emily was someone everyone looked up to in the school. She was intelligent, sweet, and hardworking. She involved herself in a lot of the schools activities and became President of the student body in our senior year. When Emily started dating Edward, everyone was surprised. She was far too smart to get involved with someone like him who had a new girl all the time. We all thought that she had to have known that she'd be discarded within a few weeks. So, when she was, it shocked us all how she handled it. For days, she didn't show up to school, but word got out that she had tried to kill herself by driving her car off a cliff. She had, thankfully—as twisted and awful as it sounded—crashed into a tree and survived, but was hospitalized for a month. Edward didn't seem to be bothered by the whole thing, in fact, he continued on dating other girls like nothing had ever happened.

I wasn't sure why I still liked him after that. The whole thing was pretty shocking, but I was young and stupid. My starry-eyed crush blinded me from the truth, which was that Edward really didn't care about anything but his own needs. He would even risk someone's life for the sake of his own temporary satisfaction.

"Yeah, I remember," I whispered, looking down at the polished black floor.

"You still want to stay?" he asked.

I took in a deep breath through my nose and released it slowly as I made up my mind. "No."

* * *

**A/N:**

**Since when did Hate Me turn into an angst story? I must've been in a foul mood when I wrote this. Haha. Nah, it was inevitable. Some skeletons had to come out eventually.**

**I asked last chapter whether you all were starting to feel sorry for Edward. I was surprised to see that some of you were. I'm guessing, with this chapter, it changed your mind or made your outlook on him much worse.**

**I'm hoping to update next week, but I've been having some personal problems going on and haven't felt all the funny lately to write. I'm going to try my best, though. EPOV is definitely next.**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx  
**


	12. Ambush

**A/N:**

**Holy shnaps, I worked hard to get this out today. I wasn't going to post until next Tuesday, but somehow, I managed to do it. **

**A major huge colossal thanks to my new beta Lindz26 for getting this back to me within the day so I could post this for you guys. Thank you to freakyg2520 for the referral. And thank you to myself for my wicked fast fingers. I will go collapse now.

* * *

**

**Previously...**

**We got a look into Bella's rejection, and how dangerous Edward's games have been in the past.

* * *

  
**

**~*AMBUSH*~  
*EDWARD***

_8:45 a.m. _

"Bella…hey. It's Edward. Just wanted to know how you are. Call me."

X-X-X-X

_9:32 a.m. _

"It's Edward, again. I haven't heard from you and I wasn't sure if my last message went through, so this is me…calling you, again. Call me."

X-X-X-X

_10:12 a.m. _

"Why aren't you returning my call? I just want to know if you're okay. I'm worried. Please, Bella. Call me back."

I ended the call and threw the phone on the couch. It bounced a few times before resting face down in the middle of the center cushion.

Bella wasn't picking up her phone. I'd call; she wouldn't answer. I wasn't exactly sure if it was on purpose or not, but if my suspicions were correct, then she was letting it go to voicemail.

Last night had been a mixture of incredibly great and absolutely awful. After Bella saw Gianna throw herself at me like some sort of cheap hooker, I felt extremely guilty. It almost felt like I had cheated on Bella…which was an odd feeling because I wasn't _with _Bella. I was just trying to seduce and fuck her…that was all. Yet…the feeling was still there and I couldn't squelch it.

After that, I channeled all my frustrations out on Gianna. I found her back at the bar, diligently working, and told her to get the hell out of my club. I didn't care that I was making a scene, but I was pissed. Was she _trying _to ruin everything I built up with Bella, all the progress I'd made? I could tell lately that Bella was starting to give into me more and then Gianna had to go and try to suck my dick. Bella said she understood what happened, but I was sure she wouldn't forget it. Gianna wouldn't have any of it, though. She claimed _I _was putting the moves on her and that she didn't do anything wrong, so if I fired her, she'd press sexual harassment charges.

The little bitch.

She knew people were listening and that no one saw what had happened, save for Bella. She was a calculating whore who was trying to save her own ass from being fired. And if I did fire her, she would definitely take legal action. That just made me even more furious. How dare she threaten _me_? Out of sheer rage, I grabbed her arm and began to tell her that if she even thought she could try to take down someone like me, that she was very mistaken. After all, who the fuck did she think she was? She was just a bitch with bigger tits than her brain. But, before I could say most of that, Emmett came over and broke us up. She was damn lucky he did, too, because even though I was against hitting women, I had almost come close to doing just that. Either way, I still fired Gianna and she stormed out of the club.

When I went back to Bella, I snatched her away from her friends. I knew I had to make sure things were okay between us. I had to assure her that it was just her and only her. That I wasn't sleeping around with anyone...because I wasn't. And…why wasn't I? Normally I'd always have my three girls on the side, but I hadn't even called either of them since…Oh, this was bad… I couldn't even _remember_ when I had called any of them last. But, I put that to the back of my mind when I saw how tense she was, and I knew I had to alleviate that. She didn't even sit on my lap again when we sat back down. I didn't show it, but it upset me.

Then…_he _had to come. Fucking Jasper. I was pissed he even had the balls to step foot in my nightclub, even though he didn't know that I wanted to ensure he'd never have children. I hated the fucking dick after what Bella had told me he did to her. What infuriated me even more was that Bella still kept him in her life. He was just all fucking happy and nonchalant as he sat down in _my_ VIP section next to _my _fucking girl. He had some nerve.

With every ounce of strength I had, I tried my hardest to keep quiet. If Bella saw what a temper I actually had, she'd run for sure. I couldn't let myself lose control over some shithead who broke her heart…even though I wanted to. Badly. So, I sat there, not making a damn sound. But the worst part was that she actually was comfortable around the douche. She seemed more fucking comfortable with him than she ever did with me. She even _leaned_ into him. The fucker didn't deserve to be leaned into! That should've been me!

Asshole.

When he left to go dance with Alice, I should've sighed with relief because he was gone, but I still wanted to bash him over the head, drag his body out to the docks, and set him afloat out into the sea. The only thing that stopped me from making that plan come true was Bella's presence. She became completely focused on me and that was when I actually did sigh with relief. Having Bella close to me, on my lap, was fantastic. Her small, warm body leaning up against me felt perfect, and I couldn't deny that it was incredibly arousing having her ass in such close proximity to my dick. But for some reason, I was able to ignore my hunger for her and just enjoy her. She completely put me at ease and it was almost as if we were in our own little bubble…until the fucker showed up again and burst it. This time, though, I couldn't hold back. It was clear he was jealous. Why wouldn't he be? I had Bella, not him, and he knew that. Yet, he still tried to stake his claim. Bella wasn't _his_ to claim, though, and I made sure he knew that. She may not have been mine, but she was as close as…after all, she was sitting on _my _lap. I tried my best to shove that in his face, which made him even more angry. Then, he had to go and bark at her to go to him like some trained animal.

I lost it.

I wanted to beat the living shit out of him. In my haste to get up and attack him, I didn't even notice that I'd nearly knocked Bella over. That was how pissed I was. But then, something happened. Something changed. I watched as she went and spoke with him. I couldn't hear a thing because of how loud the club was, but I saw her facial expression change from frustration to…sadness. I wanted to know what the hell Jasper was saying to her to make her so upset. And his expression seemed to match hers, too. Whatever the hell was happening, I didn't like it.

She nodded at him and then walked back over to the sitting area. She hastily grabbed her things and then turned to me. She said she had to go and for me to have a nice night.

_A nice night?_

Before I could even make sense of anything, I realized she was gone, Jasper was gone, and I was alone. And then I knew…he'd won. He somehow conned her into leaving with him and she fell for it, and I just sat there…like a helpless idiot. I wanted to run after her, to tell her the asshole was just messing with her again, but I couldn't. I could only remain sitting.

One thing I knew for sure, though:

I hated Jasper…

I hated hated hated hated hated hated—

"What the hell are you doing?" Emmett asked angrily, breaking me from my thoughts.

I blinked a few times, clearing my glazed over eyes, and realized I was glaring at the living room wall like a retard.

Emmett flopped down on the couch and switched on the TV to ESPN. "If you're going to stare at something, stare at the damn television like a sane person." He set the remote down and whispered, "You stupid douche…"

I rolled my eyes and sat down on the couch next to him. "What the hell is with the name calling?"

"I'm still pissed at you for how you handled Gianna. If you wanted to fire her, fine, but it could've been dealt with a bit better," he said. Oh, fuck that. I could care less about that bitch now. Not when Bella wasn't returning my calls. "If we get slapped with a lawsuit, it's your fucking fault."

"Yeah, whatever," I muttered. "By the way, thanks for disappearing last night." The prick could've at least helped me out with the queer, Jasper.

"You're welcome," he replied nonchalantly.

"Asshole," I said quietly, and we sat in silence for a few minutes, watching the sports news.

"Rose and I got into a fight last night, that's why we left," he admitted. "She was pissed that you were fooling around with one of our employees—"

"I didn't fool around with her," I barked.

"Okay, okay," he said calmly. "Her words; not mine. Anyway, she accused me of doing the same thing."

I snorted. "The only difference is that you _have." _I knew Emmett had slept with a few of our staff members. He could never keep it in his pants.

"No, I haven't," he countered.

"Oh, please…" I uttered disbelievingly.

"I haven't touched any of them since I met Rose. How many damn times do I have to tell you that I like her?"

"Whatever…" I didn't believe him for one minute. He went years and years sleeping around. He wouldn't just change at the blink of an eye. He was fooling himself, if anything. "So, did you guys 'break up'?"

"Nah," he said. "She ended up giving me a hand job."

I chuckled and shook my head. I knew he wouldn't go soft for a chick. And that was definitely a suitable double entendre, too.

"So, what was with you and that blonde pretty boy?" he asked.

I huffed and balled my hands into fists. "That shithead--or as Bella calls him, _Jazz_—was all up her ass, trying to get her away from me."

Emmett seemed surprised. "Oh, dude…that sucks. She knows him?"

"That's her ex," I said.

He laughed and began changing the channels rapidly. "Good luck."

I flared my nostrils. "I don't fucking need luck."

"Right," he chuckled. "She seemed pretty cozy with him, though."

Not as cozy as with me. After all, she wasn't practically grinding herself against _his _dick. Okay, so she wasn't grinding against me, but she might've later if I took her back to my place…if he hadn't stolen her…

"Didn't he run off to dance with that chick, Alice?" he asked.

"For all of two minutes, and then he ran back to us and started yelling at Bella."

"For what?"

"Hell if I know…but they left together," I admitted, disgruntled.

"They what?" he asked incredulously. "They left together and you let them?"

It had been eating me all night that I hadn't spoken up when she decided to leave. After she left, all these crazy scenarios invaded my mind about what they were going to do. Were they going to her place? Would they kiss? Would they have sex? Would he spend the night? Was that why she wasn't answering the goddamn phone this morning?

I wanted to bash something. Preferably _Jazz. _

_I fucking hate him._

I grabbed my phone that had slid in between the cushions, and began to search for her number again.

"What are you doing?"Emmett asked, casting me a sideways glance.

"Calling her," I muttered. As I just pressed her name, Emmett swiftly grabbed the cell out of my hands. "Hey! What the hell?" I tried to snatch it back from him, but he quickly put it in his back jeans pocket and then sat back casually. Great…the last thing I needed was Emmett's ass all over my phone.

"Stop being a stalker," Emmett scolded.

"How the hell am I being a stalker?" I questioned loudly. All I was fucking doing was calling her.

"You're calling her," he noted.

_Obviously…_

"Your point being…?" I inquired.

"Maybe Gasper and her are—" he began to say, but was cut off by the roar of my laughter.

"Gasper? _GAS_per?" That was too good.

"Isn't that his name?" Emmett asked seriously.

I tried to stop laughing, and said with a straight face, "Oh yeah. That's his name."

"_As I was saying_," he started, annoyed. "Maybe they're together. They have a history, right?"

I groaned. I didn't want to believe that, but why would she just leave with him last night, then?

"Anyway," he said, standing. "I need my suit picked up from the dry cleaners." He looked down at me expectantly.

"What are you looking at me for?"

"Can you pick it up?" he asked.

"Fuck no!" I wasn't getting out of my pajamas to go pick up his stupid crap that he could do himself.

"Come on, I'm lazy," he said.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, that's a real way to motivate me."

"If you go, I'll call Rose and ask her what was up with Bella and that guy last night."

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him suspiciously. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I want my suit!" he exclaimed. "Do you want to know what the girl was up to or not?"

I stood and glared at him. Yes, I _really_ did want to know what happened…but I wouldn't let him know how desperate I was. I shifted past him and walked to my room. "If you don't find anything out, I'm going to throw your suit down into the sewer."

I took off my shirt and threw it on the bed. When I went into the bathroom, I flicked on the light and slipped out of my boxer briefs. I turned the shower on and waited until it became extra hot, then got in, closing the shower door behind me. Steam was all ready starting to form, and I inhaled it, allowing it to soothe my nerves. I screwed my eyes shut as I let the water pour down on my head, face, and past the slick contours of my body.

My thoughts immediately went back to Bella. If I had my way last night, she would've been in my bed this morning. No, she'd have been in my shower with me right now, her sexy, wet body pressed tightly against mine. She would've let me touch every bare inch of her luscious skin, starting from her elegant neck, down between the valley of her perfect tits, past the flat surface of her belly, and to her hot, drenched pussy.

I wrapped my fingers around my engorged, pulsing cock as I envisioned slipping one finger inside her heat. She'd cry out when I'd pump it tortuously in and out of her, making her beg for me to add another finger. Grabbing myself firmly, I began to set in motion long strokes, imagining my hand was hers as I'd filled her core completely with three fingers. Her little hand would work furiously on my dick, trying to bring me to the brink before I brought her. We'd try to outdo the other with our moans, growing louder and louder as our orgasms approached. When I'd feel myself too close, I'd remove my fingers from inside her and spin her around, pushing her against the wall, her tits flush with the tiles. She'd plead for me to take her hard, but I'd tease her with the tip of my cock, pressing it to her tight entrance, barely dipping inside of her. She'd pant and jut her ass out, taking me further inside her. I'd give in and slam into her with the need to possess her, to take her and show her that she was mine and no one else's.

Over and over I'd pound her, her moans turning to screams of pleasure. But as the coil in my stomach would tighten, something would change. Our pace would slow and I'd bend over her, my chest resting against her back. I'd whisper words of endearment in her ear. She'd moan my name softly, her breath hitching. I'd pull out of her, hissing at the loss of contact, and turn her to face me. She'd look up at me through her lashes, a look of pure desire, and our lips would gravitate towards each other. Our noses would brush as I'd take her top lip in between mine and lightly suck. I'd grab her hand and mold it to my chest. She'd flatten her palm and my heart would beat unabashedly against it. I'd trail my fingers up the soft skin of her arms and up to her sopping hair, tangling my fingers in her tresses as I'd cradle the back of her head in my hands. Our kisses wouldn't grow, wouldn't become heated, they'd remain consistent in its slow pace. What was once an animalistic drive to claim her, would now be a passionate, tantalizing need to show her I was hers.

My forehead fell against the tile of the shower and an overwhelming, powerful warmth surged through me as I came, spilling my seed on the wall. "Bella," I whispered softly as the sensations began to die down.

When I opened my eyes after a few seconds, it hit me just how much I'd let this girl get to me. I just came to _kissing_ Bella…and I _enjoyed _it. This couldn't happen again. I couldn't allow her to fill my senses, to take over my mind. I had to stick to the original plan and be done with her this Thursday.

Speeding up the shower process, I quickly grabbed my shampoo on the shower ledge and mindlessly poured it into my hand, silently berating myself for orgasming to such a sappy thought like kissing. I ran my fingers through my hair, massaging the shampoo in. The normal aroma of coconut didn't overflow my senses like it normally did.

Yeah, so what? I had coconut scented shampoo. Sue me. It made my hair soft and the ladies loved it.

When I felt my hair was completely lathered, I brought my hands down to run them through the spray of the water.

"What the…" I trailed off in alarm.

My hands were a dark brown.

I patted the top of my head and brought my hand down again. More dark brown liquid collected on my hand.

"What the fuck?" I yelled.

I quickly ran my head under the shower, trying to get whatever the hell this stuff was out of my hair. It streamed down my body, down my legs, and onto the shower floor, spinning in a circle as it went into the drain. I shook my head a few times to ensure it was all gone, but more and more would come out, as if it was stuck in my hair. I cursed and grabbed the shampoo bottle, analyzing it. I squeezed a bit onto the shower floor and saw it was the dark thick liquid again. Bringing it up to my nose, I recognized the scent.

Chocolate syrup.

I'd used it a few times on women in the past. I had a bottle of it under my…

Oh, he was dead. I was certain Emmett had done this. He'd gone under my bathroom sink and into my sex cabinet, as I'd like to think of it. There was no doubt about it. But did he actually think he could fool me? That I'd just sit back and take this? Oh no. I wouldn't.

I quickly rinsed out my hair, trying as best as I could to get everything out, and I grabbed my bottle of soap, rushing to finish the shower. When I squirted a small amount into my hand, the liquid that came out was clear, oily, and it seeped through my fingers easily, not even staying in the palm of my hand. I groaned loudly, my anger flaring.

I was going to get him back good, and I knew exactly what I'd do.

I put the bottle back on the ledge, shut off the shower, and pushed the door, making sure to grab a towel off the rack. I wrapped it low around my waist and went over to the bathroom sink to run a hand over the mirror, wiping the steam away. Opening my top drawer, I retrieved my electric shaver. When I turned it on and brought it up to my jaw, it started to sputter and turn on and off like it was possessed. White water began to seep through the cracks of the battery cavity door.

"What the fuck?" I yelled out angrily.

I shut off the shaver and opened the battery door. The batteries were completely soaked in, what appeared to be, shaving cream.

He. Was. Dead.

I had spent a fortune on this shaver! I discarded the shaver grumpily into the trash and grabbed my toothbrush. But now, I was extra cautious. I analyzed that thing for two minutes, feeling the bristles, before I deduced it was safe to brush my teeth with. I picked up my toothpaste and undid the cap. There was no way he could have messed with this, right? I squeezed a tiny bit onto my toothbrush and concluded that it looked normal. I brought it up to my nose and smelled it. Yeah, it smelled minty. I rolled my eyes and began brushing my teeth. If the dumbass was actually smart, he would've been able to mess with my toothpaste.

When I finished in the bathroom, I threw on a fitted gray shirt and some dark wash jeans. I made my way into the living room and looked around for my wallet and keys.

"Well, you took eons in there. Did you have a good wank?"

I narrowed my eyes and turned around. Emmett shut the door to his bedroom and walked past me towards the computer with a smirk.

"Yeah I did," I told him cockily.

"Sick," he muttered and sat down at the computer. "I found out about your girl."

"She's not my girl," I corrected. I had to make sure that either of us didn't get confused, especially after my little groping fantasy in the shower.

"Whatever. Do you want to know or not?"

I really shouldn't want to know. It would've been best if I just left and carried on with my life, not worrying about her, but I still felt that strong need to know what happened last night. After I knew this, I could stop being obsessive. "Go ahead."

"Rose said Bella was feeling sick last night, so she left," he said.

I furrowed my brow. She didn't seem sick. She seemed fine to me. "Are you sure?"

"That's what Rose told me. She's been sick in bed all morning, too."

What if she was just telling Rose to say that so she could be alone with Jasper? "You think maybe she's avoiding me?"

"Nah. Rose sounded worried for her. I'd just let Bella call you when she's feeling better."

Now that I thought of it…she did look a bit queasy...

I wondered if she wanted anything. I could stop by her place and give her soup or something. Wasn't that what people did for sick people? I didn't even know how to make soup, though. And I didn't even know where she lived.

"Anyway, forget that. Come check this out," Emmett said, pointing to the computer screen. I walked over and stood behind him. "Guess who I got a message from on Facebook."

I bent down and read the message.

_**I, undoubtedly, have no notion as to whom you are referring to, sir. I am the eldest and only child of Gilbert Stork, and all my cousins in my maternal and paternal families have various last names, as my mother and father have only sisters. My deceased great grandfather was an only child, as well, so there are no second cousins with the Stork surname. If there are any distant Storks, I am dismally unaware. **_

_**Please accept my humble apologies. I am indubitably compunctious to have not been of more propitious service to you. **_

_**Live long and prosper,**_

_**Hubert Stork  
CEO and Founder of Star Trek pillowcases INC. **_

"Do we have a fucking dictionary?" Emmett asked.

"No," I replied, still taking in the message. "No, we don't…."

"So, then… maybe she's a distant relative of this Hubert _Dork _guy. She should be glad to be as distant as possible from this freak," Emmett commented.

"I don't know…but something doesn't add up," I noted. It just didn't make sense. "Stork" was an uncommon last name. She had to have relatives listed, whether it be her father, mother, or anyone else in her family. I had checked the phone book at the club to see if her last name was listed, and all that came up was Hubert Stork.

Whatever the case, I was going to find out.

X-X-X-X

I pulled up to the dry cleaners and stepped out of my Vanquish. I'd never seen this dry cleaners before, since I went to one further downtown. It looked relatively new, though.

When I pushed open the door, I reached in my pocket and retrieved the ticket Emmett told me to give to them for his precious suit. No one was at the counter, so I dinged the bell, turned around, leaned my back against the counter, and waited.

"One minute!" a guy yelled out in the back. The voice was familiar to me, though. It sounded squeaky, like he was going through puberty…_Oh shit. _"Well, if it isn't the diaper dickface."

I groaned and turned around, coming face to face with skinny-emo-boy. Well, almost face-to-face. There was a counter between us. Thank God. How many damn places did he work at, anyway? The grocery store, the pizza place, and now the dry cleaners? This kid got around.

I slammed the ticket on the counter and slid it across the surface to him. "I just want my dry-cleaning, thanks," I told him. I was in no mood to deal with his scrawny little ass.

"No, I don't think so," he said, sliding the ticket back over to me pointedly.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you or do you not work here?" I questioned.

"Maybe," he answered vaguely.

I huffed and looked behind him for any sane adult that could give me what I wanted so that I could leave. "Where's the manager?"

"I'm the manager, dumbass," he snapped.

This psychotic kid was the manager? I didn't believe it for a second. "No, you're not."

"Wanna bet? If I'm right, you stay away from Bella," he said quickly.

Before I could even reply to the little douche, a woman appeared from the back. "Seth!" she barked angrily. Seth's face grew pale and he took a few steps back from the counter. "Go get the man his dry-cleaning."

"But, Maaaa," Seth whined.

"Now!" she demanded.

He flashed me a death glare, snatched the ticket from the counter, and then retreated to the back, muttering to himself.

"Sorry about that. My son is becoming more and more rebellious as he gets older. I'm Sue," she greeted.

"Edward Cullen," I greeted back.

"Did I hear Seth say that you know Bella?" she asked.

My eyes went slightly wide. "Yeah."

Sue smiled and shook her head, as if thinking about something. "Bella is a special girl, and so darling. Our family loves her," she revealed. "Especially Seth. He adores her. They're very close."

I inwardly cringed at him and Bella being close, but was more interested in the fact that she seemed to know Bella pretty well. "Yeah, I can tell," I said. "Have you spoken to Bella lately?" Yes, I was being sneaky, but I wanted to know if she'd talked to Bella today. Perhaps I could find out if she was feeling better.

"She came over to see us about a day ago with Seth. Apparently, they ran into each other while he was delivering a pizza."

I simply nodded in acknowledgment of what she said. So, that was where she disappeared to that day. She went with Seth to his parents' house?

"How do you know Bella?" she asked.

"We're friends," I replied automatically.

"Do you know if she's dating anyone?" she asked. "She's being so secretive about her life and won't tell us or her parents a thing."

I furrowed my brow. Bella was keeping me a secret? Even though a part of me knew we'd only been dating a few days, I still felt dejected. I shouldn't have been, though. There had been too many times where I'd broken a girl's heart and their father had tried to hunt me down. So, I should've been grateful, if anything. "I'm sorry, I don't know," I lied.

"Hmm," she hummed.

Seth suddenly came back to the front with Emmett's suit covered in plastic. He dropped it on the counter and Sue told me how much it would cost. When I paid, she bid me goodbye and told me to tell Bella she said hello, and then went into the back. I grabbed Emmett's suit and began to leave, when Seth walked around the counter and stopped me.

"I meant what I said earlier. Stay away from Bella," he warned.

I chuckled and reached in my pocket for my keys. "I don't listen to little kids."

"You'll find out quickly I'm not a little kid when I punch you in your balls," he threatened.

I felt my balls shrivel up at the thought, but I kept my cool. "How about _you _stay away from her."

"You think she'd actually stay from me? Her and I are closer than you'll ever be with her," he said cockily. "If it came down to it, she'd choose me over you."

I wanted to laugh so hard. It was funny that this kid thought Bella would actually be interested in him romantically. Yet, it was still unsettling that he was trying to put the moves on her.

"I can see right through you," he said in a low voice. "I know you're just playing her. You wanna know how I know?"

"SETH!" we heard Sue yell out from the back.

He didn't deter his stare at me. "Stay away from her. I mean it." He eyed me one last time and then went into the back.

I held on tighter to the suit and left the cleaners. I hopped into my Vanquish and started the engine.

Did he actually know that I was playing Bella or was he bluffing? I couldn't be sure, but if he did know like he claimed, what was stopping him from telling Bella the truth? Either way, he was becoming more of a nuisance and if I didn't find a way to get him to back off, he'd ruin my whole plan.

X-X-X-X

I was at home, taking a night off, when Emmett called me from the club and told me to "get your ass over here" and hung up. So, I begrudgingly left our apartment and went to Satyr. I didn't even bother to change out of my jeans and T-shirt.

I pushed open the door to our office and stepped in to see Emmett hunched over the desk reading something.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked angrily. I could've been sitting back with a Corona, watching Jimmy Kimmel by now.

He didn't bother to look up. "First of all, I'm not even going to ask you why my favorite suit's pants had gaping holes in the ass cheeks," he said flatly. "Second of all, nice to see you, too."

"It would've been nicer if I didn't have to come here on my night off," I chided, secretly happy he'd seen the pants. He held up a small colorful poster with bright font that gave me a headache just looking at it. "What's this?"

"Read it," he demanded, holding the poster higher in the air near me.

**TOUCH&GO Presents…**

**TESTOSTERONE TUESDAYS!**

**Join us every Tuesday for some HOT HOT HOT action  
with our SEXY male bartenders. Their talents will  
BLOW your mind!**

**LADIES FREE BEFORE MIDNIGHT  
21+**

**DRESS CODE:  
LADIES: Dressed to impress!  
GENTLEMEN: Undressed to impress! **

"What the fuck?" I questioned, staring daggers at the poster. _Testosterone Tuesdays? _Did I even want to know what that entailed? Or even if it was legal?

Emmett grabbed the poster back. "Did you notice anything different about our business tonight?" he asked.

I ran through what I remembered upon walking in. _Bartenders in skimpy outfits… awesome DJ…blaring sound system…sexy Go-Go dancers. _"No, everything seems fine," I noted.

"Customers!" he exclaimed.

I raised an eyebrow. Was he off his rocker? There were loads of customers out there. "We have customers."

He shook his head. "We're missing the quintessential customers," he said. "Chicks."

I tried to rack my brain to remember if I saw any women on my way here…but couldn't remember seeing a damn one. "Where are all the ladies?"

He rolled his eyes and threw the poster at me. The corner of it stabbed me in the chest and then fell to the ground. "I spotted these all around town today. And when I say 'all,' I mean _all. _Almost every damn surface had these posters stuck on it."

Well, well. The ninnies from across the street were getting bolder now, actually sticking lame posters around town, even though we'd done that first. And our posters were much better. It was nice to know they were unoriginal, though.

"We're going across the street," Emmett declared, standing up.

Angela suddenly came sprinting into the office, looking scared. "What should I do? Everyone is leaving."

"What do you mean they're leaving?" I asked. I was so confused as to what was going on. It was all happening so fast.

"Well, I'd imagine because we've only had male customers tonight, and since there aren't any women, they're all going home," Emmett explained, moving around the desk towards the door. "Angela, just bring down the cover charge or something. That's really all we can do at this point. We'll be across the street if you need anything."

I followed Emmett out of the office and towards the exit, taking note of more men leaving then coming in. When we made it across the street, we were stopped by a big guy who was clearly the bouncer. He was a monster. Emmett was pretty large, but this guy was like the size of a Yeti. He was fairly hairy, too.

"You can't just walk in," the bouncer said. "Fifteen dollars."

"Fifteen?" I exclaimed, and then leaned over to Emmett. "No wonder our club is better. We only charge ten."

He nodded and reached into his pockets for a few seconds. "Shit. I didn't bring my wallet."

I groaned and took out my wallet from my back pocket and slapped a fifty in the bouncer's hand. "Keep the change," I told him.

As soon as we walked in, we were instantly overwhelmed with bright blue lights flaring, filling the club, then disappearing, followed by the sounds of high-pitched, feminine squeals.

The club was completely full to the limit with mostly women. There were a few guys here and there, but it didn't even compare. Most women were surrounding the bar, as if watching something. Another bright blue light flowed through the club, and again, the squeals followed.

"What the hell is going on?" Emmett asked, more to himself. "I'm gonna go see what's up. I'll be back." He made his way through the crowd, leaving me near the entrance.

I walked further towards the bar, when a half-naked, oiled down muscular man dressed in only tight fitting jeans walked by me carrying a tray of drinks. Looking around, I saw a few more of the same almost-naked men handing out drinks to women.

A few people moved away from the bar counter, and I got a glimpse of what was happening. More half-naked men were behind the bar, showing off by setting alcohol on fire. One bartender did just that, and a bright flame ignited, then died. The women surrounding clapped and cheered, egging them on further.

"Looking for someone?" I heard whispered in my ear.

I spun around and saw a man with a tight, black muscle T-shirt and black leather pants. He was giving me a strange look, like he wanted to devour me. I took a step back, almost bumping into one of the oily men.

"No, I'm good," I said to him.

He took a few steps towards me and licked his lips. "Cause I can be what you're looking for." _Fuck, this guy is gay._ "I'm Paul." I looked around me quickly, trying to find a way to escape. "Wanna get outta here?" he asked.

My eyes went wide and then darted around the club, scouring for Emmett so that we could just get the fuck out of this weird ass place. But when my eyes caught sight of a familiar brunette, I stopped my searching.

_What is she doing here? Isn't she supposed to be sick?_

Bella was standing at the side of the bar, talking to someone I couldn't see behind the crowd of women. The gay guy said something to me, but I barely registered what he spoke as I moved towards her. She was dressed casually compared to the rest of the ladies in the club, and she was laughing at something, her smile as luminescent as the naked theatrics. But when I got nearer, my stomach began to clench.

The crowd separated a bit, and I saw Bella with her hand on one of the bartender's naked chest. She leaned into his ear, said something, and he nodded happily, looking as if he'd won.

_Sick my fucking ass…

* * *

_

**A/N:_  
_**

**Uh oh. Bella's in trouble...**

**Testosterone Tuesdays! Hot. Half-naked oily men? It doesn't get any better than that. **

**I have nothing else snarky to say because I'm still fantasizing about oily men! ;-)**

**I dare you to twitter me: xrxdanixrx**


	13. Coax

**A/N: **

**I'm so glad you all like the idea of Testosterone Tuesdays. I came up with it suddenly when I was in a grocery store buying Doritos and I literally burst out with laughter thinking about the situation. Admittedly, I was also a bit flushed from the thinking about the hot men. Uh…**

**Thanks to my fab beta, Lindz26 for being so awesome and quick. And thanks to my pre-reader Irish-Sidheseer for pointing out some last minute things to me that needed to be added.

* * *

**

_**Previously...**_

**Edward finds Bella at the club, feeling up some almost naked guy, not sick after all.

* * *

  
**

**~*COAX*~  
*BELLA***

An uncomfortable, heavy silence filled the room, only the sounds of glass clanking could be heard. I wasn't uncomfortable in the least, in fact, I basked in the overwhelming quietness, but if I had to speak, I'd probably die from nerves.

I was in deep shit.

I knew it. I felt it.

How was I possibly going to get out of this? I had no clue. I didn't anticipate anything like this ever happening. It wasn't part of the plan. I'd barely gotten time to mull over it with everything that had been happening lately. Things were getting more and more complicated.

Last night, Jazz had practically scolded me after we left the club. He came over to the apartment and gave me a twenty minute lecture about getting involved with a guy like Edward that set out to break girls' hearts. Alice was there, too, since all of a sudden her and Jazz were like two peas in a fucking pod, leaving the club together. She knew what I had planned for Edward, but she would never rat me out to Jasper like that. Ho's before bro's, that sort of thing.

I sat back and let his mouth run while I recited the Canadian national anthem in my head. I didn't actually know that shit, so I made up most, but I figured it had to do with maple leaves and certain French people who didn't want to be considered Canadian, but instead "Quebecian," if that was even a word. If it wasn't, I made it one.

After a while, he must've gotten fed up of listening to himself rant, because he left. It wasn't that I wasn't appreciative of his worry over me, but I just wanted to be left alone. Remembering about high school twice in one evening was more than I could handle, and I needed to find a way to ground myself back into the present. So, I told Alice that I wasn't feeling well and that I wanted to be alone for the night. Of course, she instantly wanted to take my temperature and even whipped out some fancy thermometer that looked like something out of _2001: A Space Odyssey. _I told her, kindly, to beat it, and I retreated to my bedroom for the night. I didn't come out of my room until late in the afternoon.

And that was when I saw all the missed calls from Edward. I wasn't avoiding him-no, that was a lie. I _was_ avoiding him. I knew that if I returned his calls, I wouldn't be able to keep up the façade. I would've most likely screamed what an evil bastard he was and that he deserved everything that was coming to him. And then my whole plan would've gone down the proverbial toilet.

But now, with all these inquisitive eyes staring at me, I'd never felt more like screaming in my life.

"It's so great to have you here, Bella. I can't believe how blessed we are to have two visits from you in one week."

I lifted my gaze from my plate of defrosted peas and reheated steak to Sue, who was smiling cautiously at me. I looked around the table at the other tight smiling faces; the rest of the Clearwater family, and my mother and father.

I was in hell.

"Yeah, it's no problem," I murmured, smushing a pea with my fork.

"We don't see you nearly as much as we'd like to," Sue's husband, Harry, said.

"It's that damn city," my father chimed in, chewing loudly on his steak. "It lures young minds in and then makes them not want to ever leave."

I shook my head. "That's not true—" I began to say before my mother interrupted me.

"I, personally, can't understand the appeal of the city. It's too loud and busy. I've felt claustrophobic whenever I've gone." My mom took a notable pause and then quietly muttered snidely, "Which hasn't been much."

I rolled my eyes and turned my head away. I was sneakily being berated for not visiting my family more often. And yes, the Clearwaters were considered a part of my family since my father and Harry were close and I used to babysit Seth all the time. It wasn't as if I didn't want to see them, but I just had a hard time coming back to this one horse town. As much as I would've denied it, my father was right. Once I got into the city, I didn't ever want to leave.

Silence filled the room again and I welcomed it. I poked my steak and watched as the pink juices flowed out of it. I felt a nudge on my left shoulder and I looked at Seth, whose chair was practically on top of mine. He raised his eyebrow at me in question, I guess wondering why I was so quiet. I narrowed my eyes at the little bugger and went back to not eating my food.

"So, Bella," Sue started. "I hear your nightclub is doing pretty well. Are you and your friends enjoying the success?"

I instantly missed being in my own apartment with my roommates. They were probably getting ready to head out to the club soon, while I had to be here, putting up with this bullshit. "Yes, we've been very fortunate with our business and have had a lot of fun maintaining the club."

"What was the name of it again?" Harry asked.

"Some provocative name that is much too inappropriate," my mother noted.

I sighed. "It's just a name, Mom."

"It doesn't send out a respectable message to those young men in the city, though," my father added.

"I think it's cool," Seth said proudly.

Leah, Seth's older sister, who had been relatively quiet the entire evening, suddenly let out a loud snort. "You think anything Bella does is cool, 'cause you _love _her," she chided.

"SHUT IT, BUTTFACE!" Seth yelled, attempting to hurl himself across the table to her. Leah's cynical expression turned to one of horror before Sue grabbed Seth by his collar and pulled him back into his chair forcefully.

"Sit down, child," she ordered calmly as if this was a regular occurrence.

Harry turned to my dad, like nothing happened. "So, what's the latest?" he inquired.

My father wiped his mustache covered mouth with a napkin and then sat up straight. "Had to break up another party last night. I got a tip off that a couple kids were smuggling drugs."

"That's the third one this week," my mom remarked, shaking her head.

"We arrested the kids responsible and they sure as hell put up a fight. Almost as much of a fight as that Cullen kid back in the day," my dad said.

My head shot up. Cullen? Did he mean Edward or Emmett? What was he talking about? I wanted to ask, but then that would mean I would have to talk and that was the last thing I really wanted to do right now.

"Cullen?" Sue asked, looking deep in thought. Realization suddenly washed over her face. "Oh! An Edward Cullen came by the cleaners today. Nice young man."

My dad huffed loudly.

This time, I couldn't help myself. "What?" I asked her.

She smiled at me with a glint in her eyes. "And he said that you two are friends."

My face paled considerably and my breathing became shallow. I dropped my eyes back down to my plate, but I already knew that two sets of eyes were staring daggers at me.

"Is that true, Bella?" my father asked angrily.

A loud noise of a fork clattering against a plate sounded, and a chair grated against the hardwood floor. I looked up to see my mother standing. "I need air," she announced, and left the small dining room.

Shit. What was the big deal? Yes, Edward was a known heart breaker when we were kids, but for all they knew, he could've changed—even though he hadn't. So what if we were friends. And—wait…he said we were only friends?

"Bella?" my dad asked again pointedly.

I cleared my throat out of nervousness. "I've seen him and his brother a couple times here and there. No big deal," I said casually, trying to take the edge off the situation.

He shook his head sharply and pointed his fork at me. "You shouldn't get involved with him, young lady. He's bad news."

"That's what I've been _trying_ to tell her," Seth chimed in. "I even told him to stay away from her."

My head whipped to Seth in anger. I tried to keep calm, but I was pissed. Livid. He suddenly gasped quietly and turned his head towards me. He gave me the saddest, innocent look he could muster, but I wasn't fooled. I knew everything about him. I mean, I'd changed his diapers at one point in his life. So, I could safely say that I knew when he was trying to butter me up as a result of being busted. Big time.

I picked up my plate, as well as his, and stood up from the table. "Anyone want me to take their plate in the kitchen?" I offered. My father finished off the last of his steak and handed me his empty dish, which I shoved at Seth. "Wanna help me out, kiddo?"

He nodded hesitantly and we made our way over to the kitchen. I opened the sliding door and let Seth go through first, then stepped in and shut it firmly behind me. I grabbed the plate out of his hand and walked over to the sink, placing all three dishes in it.

"We had a deal," I said into the sink. "I go along with your little charade, and you keep your mouth shut."

He sighed and walked over to the counter next to me, hopping up on it. "No, the deal was that I don't say anything to our _families_."

I slammed my hand down on the counter near his thigh and glared at him. "You little shit. I swear to fucking God I'm gonna—"

"You kids need a hand in there?" Sue called out from the dining room.

"No, Ma, we're cool!" Seth yelled back calmly.

I remained quiet until I heard our parents speak to each other again. "The deal is off," I said coldly, turning on the faucet to rinse the plates.

He jumped down from the counter and leaned back against it. "That's fine. I'll just tell Cullen your real last name."

_Shit._

"Come on, Bella," he whined. "I promise I didn't say anything to him about who you are. The guy is a dick, though. I had no choice but to threaten to punch him in the balls if he didn't stay away from you."

I gasped. "You said that to him?"

"Yeah, and I'm pretty sure I had him shaking in his gay as hell tighty-whiteys," he said cockily.

When Seth had delivered pizza to me and Edward the other day, I went out into the hallway with him and had to tell him not to say anything to my parents about Edward. Seth asked a million questions about him and I was tight-lipped about answering most, because they were predominately questions like, "Did you kiss that asshole?" or "When are you gonna drop the fucker?" In the middle of his interrogation, he looked at the pizza receipt and saw that Edward's last name was Cullen. I was sure he heard enough around Forks to know who Edward Cullen was. Seth tried to go back into the apartment and "take him out" as he so boldly said, so I was forced to tell him that Edward didn't really mean anything to me and that I was just messing with him. I said a bit too much, though, and let it slip that I gave him a fake name. That was my mistake.

When I asked Seth if he'd keep his mouth shut about the whole thing, he said he would, of course. But then…the little devil _blackmailed _me! He said that he wouldn't say a word if I came down to see him and our parents at least two times a week! TWO! I just about had a shit fit, but he said he'd run to my dad and tell him straight away.

And that was why I was here now.

Against my own will, might I add.

"Why were you speaking to him, anyway?" I asked, annoyed. "Don't talk to him. Don't even go near him. I told you I don't want him knowing about me."

Sue entered the kitchen and placed more plates in the sink. Seth and I both watched with hawk eyes as she then opened the oven obliviously and took out a pie. "I'm about to serve up the blueberry pie," she said to us. "Why don't you two come back out." She grabbed some plates and silverware, and then went into the dining room again. I began to follow her, when Seth grabbed my arm.

"Wait," he said.

I sighed and turned to him. "What?"

"So, what are you doing this Friday?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

I shrugged. "Something with my friends, I'm sure."

He shook his head. "No, you and I are going out."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I wanna take you out on Friday."

I knew Seth had a crush on me. I wasn't exactly blind to it. I used to think it was cute, but now it was getting on my last nerves. "No," I told him pointedly.

"That's fine," he started, and then took in an exaggerated deep breath. "CHIEF SWA—"

I quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, causing him to take a few steps back. The back of his head slammed up against one of the overhead cabinets, and he winced. "Are you out of your mind?" I whisper-yelled. "Shut the fuck up!"

He licked the inside of my palm and I quickly snatched my hand back in annoyance. He grinned at me. "So, is it a date?"

"You're making me wish I'd poisoned your milk bottles when you were a demon baby," I remarked.

"I'll take that as a yes, and I'll pick you up at your place at six p.m. Mom bumped up my curfew to midnight, you know?"

_Kill me now._

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Being blackmailed by a barely sixteen year old was not fun. I threw my hands up, defeated, and walked back out into the dining room.

X-X-X-X

The grin on my face grew even larger as I sat back and took in the scene before me. I was against this at first, but now, I was glad I let Alice and Rose plan everything, because this was hot as hell. There was no doubt in my mind that our profit margin would go up tonight.

"So? What do you think?" Rose asked sheepishly, yet I knew without a doubt that she was enjoying it almost as much as me.

I looked at our entire staff of men, bare-chested, lathered in oil, and looking at me earnestly. My cheeks grew warm, my mouth ran dry, and all I could do was simply nod. Rose laughed and told the guys to get ready for the doors to open.

After my horrific dinner with my family, I left there and drove straight to the club. I was dressed super casually, but I didn't care. I knew that once I stepped foot into our awesome nightclub, that my mind would be instantly freed of thoughts that entailed poking out my dad's judgmental eyes and wringing Seth's little throat.

Alice, who had been discussing new music to play tonight with our DJ, came over and sat on a stool next to me at the bar.

"What's up, buttercup?" I asked her.

"See, this isn't so bad, right?" she questioned. "I mean, they're wearing jeans. It's not like we're displaying their packages, but they still look risqué enough to get a rise out of our customers." She giggled.

I laughed and eyed one of our oiled up employees as he walked past us and winked. I tried not to indicate that I was panting like a horny freak, because I really really REALLY needed to have sex. Like now. I'd been used to going, perhaps, a month or so without sex in order to seal the deal with guys I'd seduced, but lately, there was so much added stress and tension that I really needed a good orgasm now. If I wasn't trying to have some sort of consistent faux relationship with Edward, I'd throw down one of these slick yuppies and molest them into tomorrow.

A pair of fingers suddenly snapped in front of my hooded eyes.

"Bella! Snap out of it!" Alice exclaimed.

I shook my head and look at her with an apologetic expression. "Sorry. What were you saying?"

She rolled her eyes. "Forget it," she muttered. "Don't get any ideas with these guys."

I quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She huffed. "You know what I mean. That game you like to play with men. Get into their mind, screw them, and leave them for dead."

I laughed. Alice was funny. In a non-funny way. "These guys aren't the type I mess around with." I slapped a hand on her shoulder and stood. None of them looked emotionally wounded and vulnerable. I would've guessed that they got _a lot _of female attention. And if they didn't...well...they would after tonight. "The naked men are safe from me." But I couldn't say the say the same for the rest of the female population. I began to make my way over to our office.

"You better be right!" Alice called after me.

I was just about to wrap my hand around the door handle, when I felt a warm body towering over me. I looked to my side and my eyes came in contact with a tan naked chest all slicked up and shiny. My gaze trailed higher and higher and landed on a pair of dark brown, almost black, eyes, greedily raking all over my body.

"Jacob," I greeted as stoically as I possibly could. "Nice to see you." _You have no fucking idea how nice it is. _

He grinned and leaned his arm up against the door frame. "Likewise."

My eyes remained glued to his ripped chest for what felt like hours. Did he have a face anymore? I really didn't know. I felt like a cat in heat, though. Even _Jacob_ looked good to me right now. He wasn't even my type! I mean, why would I ever go for the tall, dark…handsome…type…

"You look a little flushed there," he said with a hint of playfulness to his tone.

I giggled nervously and looked down at the ground. "Yeah, maybe the air conditioner is broken," I said, trying to pass off my embarrassing behavior. "Maybe I'll go check on that." I attempted to grab the handle again, when he covered his hand over mine.

"You know," he started, pressing his body lightly against the side of mine as he towered over me even more, "I'm still waiting to take you out for drinks."

I smiled shyly and cast him a sideways glance. "Oh yeah?"

He nodded with a smirk and licked his lips.

"Bella," I could hear called out in the distance, but the drool-worthy sight before me overpowered my sense of hearing.

Jacob looked over my shoulder and then took a few steps back. "We'll talk later, Bella," he said with a coy smile.

I watched him go, my eyes raking over his defined back—_hot damn—_and continued to this toned ass…until my sight was blocked by a pair of bare, white, and feminine legs. My eyes grew wide as they flashed up to see Rose with her arms crossed over her chest and a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, hi," I greeted innocently.

Her inquiring expression turned to that of one who was entirely too entertained. "You little minx, eyeing the help."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't eyeing him."

"Oh, please. You two looked like you were about to devour each other," she said. "I like it. Cullen would shit his dick seeing you cheating on him."

I frowned instantly. "I'm not cheating on him."

She chuckled. "Right, right. I forgot you aren't in an actual relationship with him."

That wasn't what I meant, but I didn't correct her.

"Anyway," she continued, pushing open the office door, "if you want to bang the bar boy, go ahead." She leaned in closer to me and spoke in a lower tone. "Just don't tell Alice. She'd probably pass a kidney stone." She walked inside and I walked in after her.

X-X-X-X

It was amazing how many horny women came just to see half naked men doing some bar tricks. The club was completely packed up the hilt. The line outside was growing extremely long with angry ladies, and riots were starting to form in the streets. Well, not really, but they were definitely getting worked up, wanting to get all over our hot bar guys.

It was unfortunate, but even sexy bar guys couldn't keep me from stressing out over the events earlier with my family, and the fact that I still hadn't called Edward back. I was debating whether or not to go home and hide out in my room again. Our manager, Marcus, was out of town on vacation, and I knew Alice and Rose had everything under control, but I was actually enjoying knowing that Satyr was emptying out. We sent over one of our bus boys to check on them and he said it was pretty empty. Ha! That made me so happy.

I was standing off to the side of the bar, watching our most popular bar guy, Demetri, hamming up the bar tricks. Every few minutes, he would impress the crowds of women surrounding the bar by flaring a bottle of alcohol, then pour it, and set it aflame. They'd scream and go all nuts.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself."

I looked to see Jacob coming out from the back of the bar and heading over to me. He stopped when he reached me behind the counter and rested his body weight against it with one arm.

"Yeah, this is not half bad," I replied to him with a smile. I went back to watching Demetri show off. He was probably going to be the richest bartender after tonight with all the tips he was going to get.

"So, Bella," Jacob started, "about those—" He was quickly cut off by bright blue flames and loud squealing. He chuckled and leaned across the counter so I could hear him. "This is sort of crazy." I laughed and nodded. He bent down below the counter and took out a small glass, setting it on the surface. "What will it be?"

It took me a second to realize he was asking me what I wanted to drink. "No, no. I'm—"

"Wait, no. Let me guess," he said quickly. He took a step back and analyzed me intensely. He grabbed the glass suddenly and disappeared for a few moments as he grabbed a couple bottles off the back ledge of the bar and made some sort of green concoction. He placed it in front of me when he was done. "Here."

I eyed it. "What is this?" I asked.

"A French Green Dragon. Try it," he urged.

I brought it up to my lips and took a sip. It was cold, sweet yet tangy, and tasted of brandy and lime with some other taste I couldn't pinpoint. It was actually really good. "This is good. What's in it?"

He smiled cockily. "A bit of Cognac; a bit of Green Chartreuse…"

I nodded and took another sip. "How'd you know I'd like this?"

He took the drink from my hand and placed it on the counter. He lifted my chin with his finger to look up at him. "Because I can read you like a book." He brought his hand down without taking his eyes off me. "I'd really like to take you out. What do you say?"

I sighed. Jacob was definitely appealing to my promiscuous side tonight, but something Rose had said earlier about cheating on Edward made me rein in my hormones. I needed to stick with what I was doing. I'd get his dick inside me soon enough. It looked as if my vibrator was going to become my best friend.

"Jacob. I'm so flattered, really," I said, "but we should just keep things professional."

He nodded slowly and smiled, but I could tell he was bent out of shape. "You're taken, right?"

I knew I wasn't technically, but I merely shrugged. It would be best if he just believed that. "Are you doing that reading me like a book thing again?" I asked.

He nodded with confident smirk. "Pretty impressive, huh?"

I laughed loudly. I'd just rejected him and he completely bounced back in a second. I began to reply, but the surrounding women squealed again as a bright flash lit up the room. I leaned across the bar, using his chest as a means to hold onto something so I didn't fall. "Do you use that talent on ladies to get bigger tips?" He leaned back and nodded coyly, which I chuckled at.

I briefly glanced over his shoulder, and knitted my brow when I saw Alice across the bar, jumping up at down and waving her hands in the air like a crazy person, trying to garner my attention. I mouthed "what?" to her, and she began pointing wildly in the direction to the side of me. I glanced around the club and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, so I looked back at her. I wasn't sure what she was getting at, so I gave her a sharp "shoo" gesture, because, frankly, she was insane. She gave me the hardest death glare I think I'd ever seen from her and continued pointing in the same direction while mouthing something I couldn't make out. Alice's eyes went wide and she quickly started texting something on her phone as she turned around and dashed away.

That was weird.

"Hey," Jacob said, "you better finish your drink before it—" He was interrupted by someone clearing their throat obnoxiously. It actually sounded like it was right in my ear.

I turned and came face to face with…

GAH!

"Feeling better?" Edward asked angrily. I stood still and observed his features. His light green irises could barely be seen behind the tight slits of his eyelids. His mouth, which I used to shamelessly admire in high school, was set in a thin, hard line. He looked _pissed. _He flared his nostrils and eyed Jacob up and down in disgust. "I'll take it from here, Rico Suave." Jacob narrowed his eyes for a split second, but then retreated to the other side of the bar.

Behind Edward, I saw Alice again. She was doing that jumping up and down thing like before, but instead of pointing to side, she was pointing directly at her own phone.

"Having fun with the bartender, Bella?" Edward questioned calmly, but there was a hint of malice in his tone.

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What?"

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket, so I quickly took it out, reading the text message I received.

_**Rose and I need you! You know where to go.**_

_**-Alice**_

I looked over Edward's shoulder and saw that Alice had disappeared.

"Bella, did you even hear me?" Edward asked, clearly aggravated.

Oh shit. Had he said something? "I'm sorry…what?" He groaned and opened his mouth to talk, but I held up my hand. "Hold that thought," I told him. "I need to go to the bathroom."

I shifted around him and made a beeline for the restrooms. I heard him shout my name along with something else over the sound of the loud club music, but I kept going. When I reached the bathrooms, I looked behind me to see if Edward was watching. He had his phone up to his ear and a hand covering his other ear. I took advantage and stealthily made a sharp turn and walked directly to my office. I quickly shoved open the door, walked in, and locked it behind me. I turned and saw Alice pacing back and forth, while Rose fiddled with her phone in her hand like she was A.D.D. They both ditched what they were doing when I entered.

"Holy crap, Bella!" Rose exclaimed. "Emmett's here and I didn't know what to do!"

"Emmett's here, too?" I all but shouted. "Why are Edward and Emmett here tonight of all nights?"

"To spy on us, I think," Alice spoke calmly. "I really didn't think about them actually coming over to see what we were up to. I should've anticipated this…"

I groaned and sat down in the swivel chair behind the desk. "Edward's pissed."

"I _tried_ to tell you that he was walking toward you," Alice said, to which I rolled my eyes. How was I supposed to know that her acting like a nut meant that Edward was in the vicinity? "Anyway, what did he say to you?"

"Something about if I was feeling better," I replied, shrugging.

"Oh, yeah," Rose said distantly. "I told Emmett you weren't feeling well. He said Edward wanted to know." She tossed her phone on the desk. "But never mind that! Emmett is up my ass, wanting to know why I'm here." Her cell suddenly vibrated violently, causing it to move across the desk. She pointed to it like it was the killer in a low budget horror movie. "See!"

We waited until her phone shut up.

"Maybe I should tell him I own this place," she added.

"No!" Alice and I both shouted in unison.

"You can't do that. He'll tell, Edward," I snapped.

"But, then, what are we going to do?" Rose asked.

"Maybe we can try to lure them away from the club. Maybe take them out or something?" I suggested.

"No! You can't leave me here alone," Alice sputtered.

"Alice, you'll be fine by yourself," I assured.

"No, I won't! It's okay when Marcus is here with me, but he's not, and it'd just be me, and I don't think I can handle that one bit," Alice babbled, fully freaking out now.

"Jesus fuck, Alice," Rose cursed. "Fine, we won't leave."

Alice sighed in relief and sat down on the desk. "Thank you."

My phone chirped, echoing through the silence of the room. I looked at them, wondering if I should answer it. They both gave me blank expressions, so I opened my phone, but saw I only had a text.

_**We need to talk. Are you done yet?**_

_**-Edward**_

"Shit," I muttered. "Edward wants to talk."

Alice sighed and began pacing again. "Alright, the only thing we can really do is let our staff know not to address either of you in regards to the club. As far as they are concerned, you'll just be regular customers." Rose and I both nodded. "I'll go do that now."

Alice left immediately, but Rose and I took our time leaving the office.

"What are you going to tell Emmett about why you're here?" I asked her.

She smiled. "That I wanted to see the guys," she stated with a chuckle. "What about you?"

I couldn't tell Edward that. He all ready looked pissed enough that I was even here. "I guess I'll just have to wing it," I admitted.

We walked out onto the dance floor, and Rose scampered off to look for Emmett, which left me the task of trying to find Edward. You'd think in a crowd full of mostly women, that'd be easy, but it wasn't. I scoured the room, trying to spot even a strand of that messy, dark hair I'd become familiar with.

I moved as far away from the bar, just in case Alice hadn't gotten around to telling our staff not to talk to us. My phone chirped and I took it out, seeing I had a text.

_**Seats.**_

_**-Edward**_

I looked over to the lounge area, and sure enough, Edward was there, staring right at me. He didn't look pissed anymore, in fact, he looked nervous…if that was even possible. I hesitantly made my way over to him, unsure of what was about to happen. As I got nearer, he stood. He seemed confused how to greet me. His hands twitched a bit before he stuffed them in his pockets.

"Hey," I greeted warily as I stopped in front of him.

"Hey," he greeted back.

We fell quiet instantly, the sounds of the club making up for our silence. He gestured for me to sit on the small sofa, and I nodded. We both took a seat, but we didn't anticipate which part of the sofa the other was going to sit on, so I almost ended up on top of him, our thighs completely rubbing up against each other. I quickly moved an inch away, giving us a bit of room. When I was all situated, I looked up to see him frowning, analyzing my face.

"What?" I questioned.

He shook his head and sighed. "My brother told me you were sick, and then I come here and…" he trailed off, and looked around with a look of disgust.

"I _was_ sick," I lied, "but I'm feeling better now."

"You couldn't have called me?" he asked. "I was really worried about you."

_Oh, give me a break… _

I fought hard to prevent myself from rolling my eyes. The temptation was strong, but I kept my sight focused on his scruffy face. "Thanks for being worried," I said politely. I really had to suppress the urge to tell him the truth, which was I just needed space from him.

He gently took hold of my hand and set it in his lap, looking down as he began playing with my fingers. I had to admit, it caused goose bumps to form all over my arms.

"Bella, I care about you. Why wouldn't I be worried?" I watched as he continued caressing my fingers, entwining them with his own. I didn't have a proper answer for him because I knew he wasn't capable of caring about someone. He would tell me anything to get his way. "And why would you come here of all the clubs in town?"

"I've been coming here for a while," I said. And that wasn't a lie, technically. "After all, this is where we met."

"I know, but…" He paused. He seemed genuinely upset for some reason. "Bella, this club is my competition. Satyr and Touch&Go _hate _each other," he explained. "The women here that run this place, they're stupid bitches that keep trying to sabotage us." With his free hand, he waved his hand in a circle and looked around the club. "Like tonight, for instance."

With every ounce of control I had, I fought to not punch him square in the jaw. He was really testing me, calling my girls and me "stupid bitches." He had no clue who I was, that I was, in fact, his competition. I could do it, though. I could tell him everything, that I owned this place, that it was me sending him all those emails, and that I enjoyed pissing him off just to spite him. He'd get the shock of the fucking century and shit his pants. Then, I'd laugh and feel majorly satisfied.

_Don't get any ideas, Bella. _

My mouth and my mind were at war with each other. Thank God my mind was savvier than my mouth. It was Edward's only saving grace from me giving him a smack down with my not so eloquent words.

"I don't want you coming to a place like this when you should be with me at my club," he finished.

I cleared my throat and tried to ignore the tension building in my forehead. "I don't see what's wrong with what's going on here tonight. How is this sabotaging your club?" I questioned, attempting to sound innocent.

He laughed. "They've taken all our female customers." I smiled inside at that admission. I already knew it, but it was nice to hear it coming from his lips. "But I'm not worried, anymore," he remarked. "Emmett and I were talking just a bit ago and we've got something up our sleeves that's gonna suck this place dry."

I frowned openly. I couldn't even hide it. He had something planned? "Really?" I asked, more as a statement. "And what exactly are going to do?"

He smirked and sat back against the sofa, letting go of my limp hand. "I think you should wait to see. It's going to be awesome. Emmett's going to make a few phone calls, and then we're gonna be in business."

I wanted to pressure him to tell me, but there would be no way of doing it without him questioning why I desperately wanted to know, so I let it go…for now… "Where's Emmett, anyway?" I inquired.

He looked at me intensely. "I don't know. He's off with Rose somewhere," he said, distracted. He brought a hand up and softly stroked the side of my head. "Anyway. I really hope you know that you can tell me anything. I don't want there being any secrets between each other." He dragged his hand across to my cheek and rubbed it lightly with the back of his knuckles. "I know we haven't known each other long, but I just want to get to know you, Bella. And if you're not feeling well, tell me, please, because I'd really like to take care of you."

I couldn't believe I was going to admit this, but, God, he was good. For a minute there, he actually had me believing he was genuine. The concerned facial expression, the nurturing cheek strokes, everything, he had it all down expertly. If I was any other sucker, I would've been eating out of the palm of his hand. "Okay," was all I could muster.

He leaned his face into mine, stopping when our lips were just about to touch. "Can I kiss you?" he asked quietly.

I planted both of my hands on the sides of his face, bringing him closer. "You don't have to ask."

He smiled. "Just checking," he breathed, and closed his eyes before bringing his lips in contact with mine for a gentle closed-mouth kiss. After a while, he pulled away with a hopeful glint in his eyes. "No secrets?

I smiled sweetly and shook my head as I brought his face back to mine. "No secrets."

* * *

**A/N **

***cough*bullshit*cough* I never know with these two who is outdoing the other. Yes, Bella has the upper hand since she knows his shtick, but sometimes he pulls things out of the woodwork that really gets Bella riled up and scrambling. **

**Jake will not be a major factor in this story. He served his purpose. He may be sprinkled throughout the story because he works for Bella, but there will be no Jake-Bella-Edward love triangle. As for Jasper-Bella-Edward, in Edwards head there is love triangle. In Bella's head there's a fake love triangle. And in Jasper's head there's a what-fuck-is-going-on-I-don't-know-jack-shit non-existent triangle. So, there you go. **

**P.S Seth is a little shit. Go ahead and say it.**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**


	14. Yield

**A/N:**

**Hi-five to everyone who had their spears sharpened ready to take out Seth. Yeah, I know, he's a little douchebag. And happy Testosterone Tuesday, here's Edward's side to celebrate the joyous peen-tacular occasion, continuing from where we left off with the last chapter.**

**Thanks to my kickazzzz beta Lindz26 for having magic eyes cause I swear I read this crap a zillion times, yet there were still mistakes. And thanks to my pre-reader Irish-Sidheseer, who is starting to feel sorry for Edward. Gah! **

**Also, voting has started for the Twilight All-Human Awards. Hate Me was nominated for the category of "fanfiction that had you crying with laughter." If you get a kick out of this story, please vote for it! Voting ends June 18th.  
**_**twilightallhumanawards . webs . com**_

* * *

_**Previously...**_

**Bella is being blackmailed by Seth. Edward shows up at Bella's club for Testosterone Tuesdays, which has her frazzled.

* * *

  
**

**~*YIELD*~  
*EDWARD***

Fluttering.

That was what my stomach was doing. It felt awful and weird, and yet…completely perfect.

My brain was working over time. Instead of giving myself over to the physical feel of her pouty lips, I was concentrating on the fact that I had been worrying my ass off about her all goddamn night and day. It felt like my pathetic shower fantasy again where I needed to prove something, that I was here and wasn't going anywhere if she needed me, but also that she was mine and mine only. I found that, this time, instead of reining in my confusing and quite embarrassing thoughts about her, I wanted to bask in it, to completely allow myself to enjoy the sensations Bella was giving me.

It had been like a slap to my face when I saw her all over that bartender, whispering in his ear, touching his bare chest so intimately. When had she touched _my _bare chest? And I had practically screamed for her to…at least in my head. He was eyeing her like she was some overpriced barbecue prime rib, and she was eyeing him like…well…like a naked man who was oiled up and influencing her with alcohol.

I wanted to beat his ass.

But most of all, I wanted to ask her, _what the fuck? _How had she gone from this sweet, quiet, broken woman to an overly confident, sexy, feline? Mind you, she was always sexy, and perhaps even, at times, confident, but it was like I was looking at a different person, someone I hadn't even met before. I wanted to know why she wasn't like that with me. _God_, I would've loved it if she was all over me. For once, in my entire adult life, I felt like the chasing wasn't satisfying, as if I didn't want to pursue her anymore. I wanted _her_ to pursue me.

Shit, I was fucked in the head.

Either way, I was more than happy to scare off that greasy bartender. I wanted to throw Rico Suave across the club floor as if it were a goddamn Slip 'n Slide, because you know that fucker would skid easily with the amount of shiny shit he was lathered in.

Who the hell's idea was that, anyway? Unclothed men with no class, showing off their nipples to the world was supposed to be attractive? Shit. If I had known that, maybe Bella would've been with me tonight and not in this rancid, tasteless club. Oh, but no, she was "sick."

I didn't know what was worse, the pawing at slimy men or the lying about not feeling well. No, definitely the pawing, but the lying about being sick was pretty shitty, too. What was even the purpose? I couldn't allow myself to think if it had been because of Jasper, because _fuck_ I wanted to cream that guy so bad. No, it had to be some other reason, but what that was, I didn't know.

When I finally had her attention, or so I thought, I asked her why she hadn't returned any of my phone calls, but it was like I wasn't even there. She was messing around with her phone, texting God only knew who. Then, she ditched me to go to the bathroom. I had barely even said hello to her and she left me as if I wasn't worth her time.

It pissed me the fuck off.

I yelled after her and demanded she come back, but either she didn't hear me over the damn high pitched screams of the women around, or she just didn't give a shit.

I was so livid that I just about followed her to the bathroom, but instead, I called Emmett to try to calm me the fuck down because I would've blown a gasket right there. When we found each other, he told me he had bumped into Rose, but that she ran off, too. So, we came to our own conclusion.

Women were fucking nuts.

They played hot and cold and screwed with your mind. One minute they were all into you, the next they were dry humping a naked gorilla and ditching you to go take a piss in a dirty toilet.

After Emmett told me I should take a laxative, because, apparently, I looked like I was constipated, I calmed down significantly and really thought through what I was feeling. Because aside from being angry that she hadn't called, or that she was having fun in a place I despised, I was still relieved to see her. Happy, even. And she looked so goddamn cute, too, wearing just casual jeans and a fitted white T-shirt with her hair natural and wavy. Yeah, _cute_. She didn't have a stick of make up on, but her face looked luminescent and refreshed…a_nd absolutely beautiful. _Those thoughts completely changed my entire demeanor. I went from feeling enraged, to feeling nervous and anxious.

I waited impatiently for her to leave the bathroom so I could see her again. Just see her. That was all I wanted, and then she could be as distant and unfazed as she wanted to be to me.

God, what the fuck was wrong with me. I was willingly letting a woman fuck with my head.

When I lured her out with my text messages, I didn't want her to see how unsure of myself I was. I wanted her to see the cool, in control Edward who ran the show, who could drop her panties in a flash…but that guy wasn't there. I didn't know where the hell he was. He was off fucking having a few shots of whiskey at my club or something and watching the Go-Go dancers' tits bounce around. And good for him. But _this_ Edward was completely and utterly wrapped up in this gorgeous girl who confused the hell out of him most of the time.

What was more baffling was I had asked her for _permission_ to kiss her. Why? I had no damn clue. All I knew was I wanted it to be her choice to kiss me. I needed her to take charge and guide me. I didn't want her keeping any more secrets from me, and I hoped that she was telling me the truth this time that she wouldn't.

Holy shit, what was happening to me…?

I slipped my tongue into her mouth, searching greedily for hers. When they met, I got caught up in the feel of her tongue. It was soft like smooth satin and tasted of sweet lime and honeydew melon, a hint of brandy mixed in. It made me hunger to taste her even more, to explore all of her mouth. I weaved my fingers into the soft waves of her hair, making a fist to secure both my hands and her head in place.

The sounds of the club music died, the bright lights faded, and the clubgoers disappeared. It was just me and her, surrounded by nothing but each other. Time could've passed and I wouldn't have known.

Before I even knew it, our kisses became all consuming and frantic, completely devouring one another. Her hands were running up my chest and to my neck, and my hands were trailing down her arms, then wrapping around her back to bring her closer to me. With the awkward angle we were at, we couldn't get any nearer to each other without one of us climbing on top of the other. I very well could've, and I surely wanted to, but I was letting her lead, allowing her to take the reins.

She let out a quiet moan, almost a whimper. Though it could barely be heard, it amplified by a thousand in my head, encouraging me further. At least I knew that she was as worked up as I was. I wanted to hear more sounds from her. I wanted to learn how I could make her feel good and moan for me all the time.

I hadn't even noticed, but her hand had found refuge on my thigh. As our tongues and lips continued intermingling, she slid her hand higher and higher. I dug my fingers into her back when I could feel my already straining cock twitch in excitement with how close her fingers were. Just a bit higher and inward and she'd be right _there, _right where the ache was. But that particular ache wasn't the most prominent. It was the deep aching in the pit of my stomach that took over completely. It was what caused me to reluctantly break away from her, ceasing our movements immediately.

"Bella," I breathed, placing my forehead against hers. I was panting like I'd run a marathon for three hours. I needed to catch my breath.

"What's wrong?"she asked, rubbing my thigh gingerly.

The club music returned, the people reappeared, and the colored lights shown just as brightly as before.

I shook my head against her forehead. I couldn't articulate what was going on. I didn't even know myself. So, I pulled back and refused to meet her eyes until I could figure it out. "Do you want me to get you a drink?" I asked her as a diversion.

She lifted an eyebrow skeptically. Her lips were pouted and swollen from our activities. They looked beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to bring them back to mine, but I couldn't move, because I honestly felt like I was going to be sick.

"You okay? You don't look well," she noted warily.

I nodded a few times too many and swallowed hard. "Yeah, I just need a drink." She looked at me for a few seconds before making a move to stand up, saying she'd get us some drinks. I lightly pushed her back down on the sofa, and stood. "No, I'll get it. What do you want?"

She sat back, looking a lot more comfortable than I was. "A French Green Dragon would be nice."

I spun around, without acknowledging what she said, and made my way through the crowd, not really bothering to avoid bumping into anyone. I even heard a few people curse at me for being so rude and practically crashing into them, but I didn't care. I just needed to get as far away as possible from Bella. The funny thing was I wanted to be right by her side, too. It was like a string was pulling on my back and I was fighting hard against it.

When I made it to the bar, I took a few deep breaths, trying to relax, because I felt like I was borderline having a panic attack. I asked the nearest bartender for a shot of Jack Daniels and a French Green Dragon, whatever that was. The guy said he didn't know how to make it, but he knew someone that could. While I waited, spinning my wallet on the counter and trying not think at all, I noticed that same slippery Rico Suave, who had been hitting on Bella earlier, coming over to me from the end of the bar. I instantly went rigid and stood a little taller. Naturally, my eyes turned to slits, warning him not to take another step closer to me. He obviously didn't care, because he stopped right in front of me.

"You asked for a French Green Dragon?" he questioned casually, but I could see his eyes swimming with hatred.

"Let's get one thing straight," I started venomously. I wasn't in the mood to be fucked with and filter what I was going to say, what I _needed_ to say. "That girl right there," I pointed across the club to Bella, who was texting, and then I pointed back to myself, "is mine. Got it?" I was out of my goddamn mind, but I still glared at the fucker. "So, don't fucking touch her again." I actually couldn't recall him touching her, but it didn't matter. I was making a point.

He laughed heartily and shook his head. He magically grabbed a shot glass from under the counter and put it on the surface. He grabbed a Jack Daniels bottle and quietly poured whiskey into the shot glass while smiling like a creepy dickhead. He set the bottle down, pushed the glass towards me, and folded his forearms on top of the counter. I eyed it as if it were poisonous.

He rolled his eyes. "I didn't touch your girlfriend," he assured.

"No, you better not have," I warned.

He put his hands up defensively. "Alright, calm down there, Muhammad Ali. Yeah, she's pretty sexy, and yeah, I did hit on her," he said, and I wanted to reach over and bash his face in, "but she turned me down. Said she was taken." He pushed the shot of whiskey further to me. "I'm assuming by you?"

I furrowed my brow. She actually told someone we were together? I should've felt annoyed, but I was feeling anything but. If I wasn't trying to be a hardass, I would've probably smiled.

"Yeah, that's me," I confirmed, and tossed back the whiskey as quick as I could, enjoying the smooth burn it offered.

"Lucky guy," he muttered, and grabbed some bottles off the back shelf. After a minute, he presented some green drink that I assumed was the French Green whatever drink.

One of the bartenders, who I recognized from doing all those annoying bar tricks from earlier, came up to Rico Suave. "Hey, Jake, where are the babe bosses?" he asked, eyeing me cautiously.

Ah, so _Jake_ was his name. What a stupid, common name. My mind suddenly zeroed in on the second part of what the other guy said. Bosses. Did that mean the three ninnies were here? Tonight? Right here? In this club? Holy shit.

I didn't know whether to get the fuck out of here or try to see what they looked like. The latter was more appealing, though, because I wanted to see which one of the crazy bitches was emailing me all the time like a stalker.

_Yeah, right, you've been emailing her, too. _

"The owners are here tonight?" I asked slyly, interrupting any chance of Jake talking.

"Yeah, I think," the guy answered. "I thought I saw Brandon running around here, but she's a little quick chick."

One of the girls is named Brandon? Whoa. That must've caused her a major identity crisis growing up.

Jake's eyes bulged and he turned to him. "Shit, Demetri," he whispered back, "we're not supposed to acknowledge any of them. Didn't she tell you?"

"Well, I didn't fucking know; I wasn't told anything. I've been busy putting on a damn show for these broads, if you haven't noticed," the guy said, and then walked off, muttering to himself.

Why wouldn't the girls not want to be acknowledged in their own club? That didn't even make sense. When Emmett and I had told our own staff not to address us, we'd done it so Bella and the other girls wouldn't know we owned the joint. Were the owners this club trying to do the same thing? But before I could even question Jake about it, there was a light tapping on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Alice. She was really close to me, just barely a few inches away.

"Hi, Edward!" she squeaked. Her bright eyes darted somewhere behind me and turned hard and angry in a flash. I looked over my shoulder and saw Jake with a scared expression. He quickly poured me another shot of whiskey, and then practically ran the fuck off. "So, what are you doing here tonight? I'm sure Bella's happy to see you."

"Just came here to see what was going on," I answered honestly. "And how did you know I ran into Bella?"

A confused expression washed over her face, but then she looked plain nervous. "Oh! Uhh," she fumbled, looking around. "She texted me and told me." I nodded. That must've been who Bella was texting a bit ago. "Let's go see her, yeah?" Her tone was overly anxious.

I pulled a fifty out of my wallet and slapped it on the counter, then knocked the shot of whiskey back. I grabbed the weird green drink that instantly froze my hand from how cold it was. "Yeah, let's go," I told her. I felt much more relaxed now after the two shots of whiskey, and felt it was all right to see Bella again. Hopefully, the in control Edward would make an appearance soon.

Bella was still sitting in the same spot, not having moved an inch since I last saw her. She spotted both of us immediately, a wide smile stretching across her face. That set off my own big, goofy grin. Yeah, that in control Edward definitely wasn't coming back tonight.

"Hey, guys," Bella greeted, and then eyed the drink in my hand. "Oh! Yes! I love that. Gimme." She held both hands towards me and waggled her fingers anxiously. I laughed and gave it to her. She took a generous gulp and then leaned back against the sofa, looking satisfied. "Are you feeling better, Edward?"

I sat down next to her. My hands didn't hesitate to plant itself on her thigh. "Yeah, getting better," I replied, watching her close as she took a little sip of her drink.

"Good," she said with a smile and stroked the top of my hand with her fingers. I flipped my hand over, palm facing up, so she could grab a hold of it if she wanted to, but she continued to trail her fingers inside my palm instead.

Alice sat on the other side of Bella quickly and leaned into her ear, whispering something that I couldn't hear.

"Oh, really?" Bella asked. "He is?"

Alice nodded and said something else to her in a whisper.

"Okay, then, yeah, I will. But let me finish my drink first," Bella said with a laugh. I watched their exchange, a little confused, but didn't inquire because I knew women were just plain odd.

Bella brought her glass up to her lips and tipped it high up in the air. All the green liquid and slush escaped past her mouth slowly. I could see her throat pulse as she swallowed repeatedly. She guzzled almost the entire thing down and was still going.

"Shit, Bella!" I exclaimed, a little alarmed. "You're going to get a brain freeze."

She held up a finger to me and then stopped drinking. She brought the now empty glass down and swallowed one last time. Her eyes screwed shut suddenly and her face scrunched up, wrinkles forming in her forehead. She snatched the hand that was caressing my palm and brought it to her forehead.

"Ahh, brain freeze," she announced.

I laughed at how cute she was and shook my head. "I told you, baby. You have to go slow with those."

She opened one eye and stared at me, then opened the other. She looked at Alice for a second, who merely shrugged. I couldn't, for the life of me, decipher what they were thinking.

Bella suddenly stood. "Alright, well…I think I'm going to call it a night," she said to no one specific.

I frowned and stood myself. "Are you sure?" I wasn't ready to say bye to her just yet. "We could go somewhere else, if you want." That was what we should've done from the start. "How about dinner or something?"

She chuckled. "It's a bit late for dinner. Everything will be closing," she answered. "I'll probably just head home."

I considered asking her if she wanted to come to my place, but I decided to let it go. If she wanted to go, then I'd have to let her.

I leaned into her ear. "You'll call me, right?" I asked, almost desperately.

"Are you worried I won't?" she questioned. I nodded, rubbing my nose against her ear. She shivered in response. "I'll call you. I promise."

I smiled weakly, and took a step back, letting go of her. She said goodbye to Alice, and then left without another word. I watched her until I couldn't see her anymore as she exited the club. I scratched the back of my neck, unsure of what to do with myself now, and looked down at the sofa, where Alice was seated. She was staring at me with some sort of weird, cocky, excited smile.

"You like her a lot, don't you?" she asked. I should've automatically said yes, to keep up the act, but I didn't seem to be maintaining the façade at all tonight, so I merely stared at her. "You don't have to be afraid to show it."

"What makes you think I am?" I questioned.

"Because it's written all over your face."

X-X-X-X

I opened my bedroom door and walked out into the living room, scratching my naked chest. I could hear the light hum of the refrigerator and saw a light coming from the kitchen, which meant Emmett was awake, sticking his head in the fridge like usual.

I flopped down on the couch and looked around for the remote. "Hey, shithead. If you're in the kitchen, pour me a bowl of Cap'n Crunch," I called out. I found the remote under my ass and turned on the television, flicking quickly through the channels to find something I liked.

"Get it yourself, asshole."

I stopped flicking, landing on some early morning kid's program with crazy talking trains. That voice was too high pitched and bitchy to be Emmett's. I stood and cautiously walked into the kitchen. My eyes bugged out when I saw the back of two long, bare legs of a woman, dressed in an oversized man's sweatshirt while bent over in the fridge. She huffed and slammed the fridge door. When she finally turned around and glared at me, I nearly screamed.

"Top o' the morning, Cullen," Rose greeted dryly.

I made a disgusted face at the sight of her. I was guessing that meant Emmett finally bagged the broad. I hoped, for his sake, his blue balls were now back to its normal shade of…why was I thinking about my brother's balls? Anyway, hopefully he would get rid of her now.

"Hey, Rose I-Don't-Know-Your-Last-Name-And-I-Don't-Really-Care," I greeted back. "Wait, no. I do know. It's Satan." I shifted past her and opened one of the top cabinets, grabbing a bowl, then took out the cereal from another cabinet.

All she replied with was a dark laugh, which annoyed me.

"Have fun with my brother last night?" I teased. Emmett had run off with Rose somewhere after I last saw him at the club.

"Not that it's any of your business, but Emmett was a real gentleman last night."

Did that mean that he actually fucked her with a condom or something? Because Emmett was far from a gentleman with ladies, usually. "Okay," I merely laughed.

I finished pouring the milk into the bowl, when I heard Emmett's bedroom door creak open.

"Morning, babe," Emmett greeted, walking over to Rose and enveloping her in a heated embrace that made me want to vomit.

"Morning," I replied jokingly.

"Not you, dipshit," Emmett growled. He then grabbed Rose's ass and moaned into her neck, practically dry humping her. I ate my cereal, slurping the milk off my spoon, and watched. He looked up at me from behind Rose's thick hair. "Stop eyeing my girl, you freak."

I rolled my eyes. "Gross. I'm not eyeing her; I'm just standing here. This is a free kitchen."

"That's okay, Cullen," Rose said, tightening her tentacles around Emmett's neck. "I know you've wanted me since day one."

"Dream on, Cruella," I spat, and brought the bowl up to my lips, downing the rest of the milk. I swallowed the last bit and made an obnoxious "ahh" sound, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand.

I left the kitchen and fell back down on the couch, grabbing the remote in the process. I surfed through the channels at the speed of light.

_Nothing. _

_Nothing. _

_Nope. _

_Definitely not that. _

_Holy shit!_

I stopped clicking when it landed on a news channel. A news reporter was standing right on the street where our club was. The camera shot wasn't showing Satyr, but if it moved just a bit to the left, it would. If it moved to the right, it would show Touch&Go. And of course, just to spite me, the camera made a sharp right, showing a small glimpse of their nasty club.

"Fuck!" I cursed loudly.

Emmett and Rose rushed out from the kitchen, looking disheveled. "What?" Emmett questioned.

The news was no longer showing the shot of the club, but instead, the expanse of the newsroom. "Those evil wenches got camera time on the news!" I yelled, and hurled the remote at the TV. It clambered to the ground and the battery door broke off, the batteries spilling out on the hardwood floor.

Rose chuckled. "Well, maybe that means they're better than you."

Emmett cleared his throat sharply before I could reply to her. "Edward, maybe you should calm down."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Maybe you should care more about our club."

"Maybe," Rose started, "you should take the stick out of your ass and grow the fuck up."

"Maybe you should stay the hell out of our business," I countered angrily.

"Stop," Emmett ordered. "Edward. Kitchen." He left the living room. I figured I was expected to follow him, so I stood, but not before flashing Rose a death glare.

I entered the kitchen to see Emmett leaning against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. "When are you gonna toss that bimbo to the curb?" I asked, not keeping my voice soft at all. "She's getting on my last nerve."

He slapped the back of my head hard. It instantly stung, and I rubbed it, muttering a soft "ow."

"Shut the fuck up and don't speak about her like that," he seethed.

I continued soothing my head. "Goddamnit, Emmett. What's the matter with you?"

"No, what's the matter with you?" he asked.

"Me? What the hell do you mean?" I questioned.

"Going all apeshit over Touch&Go getting a little promotion? So what?"

I gawked at him. "You're kidding me, right?" No, he was kidding. "I mean, you're shitting me." He was definitely shitting me. "They. Are. Our. Competition," I said slowly, enunciating each word. "Just last night you were plotting with me how to take their customers."

"Yeah, well," he said. "Maybe I'm just a bit over the games."

I laughed without any humor. "Is it because of her?" I asked, pointing to the direction of the living room. "'Cause all of a sudden, since you've fucked the blonde, you've turned into Ghandi or some shit."

"I'm not going to tell you again. Don't speak about her like that," he barked in a whisper. "And I didn't fuck her. She just slept over."

I laughed harshly and shook my head. I was pissed. Pissed at Rose. Pissed at Emmett. Pissed at that stupid club. Pissed at my confusing night with Bella. "You're an embarrassment to us men," I growled. "How can you have a girl in your bed and not fuck her?"

His eyes turned dark. He seriously looked like he wanted to deck me, but he merely took a few steps back. "How can you have three chicks at your beck and call, yet not fuck any of them?" he asked in a forced whisper. I opened my mouth to reply, but then realized, I had nothing to say. Emmett eyed me and huffed as he turned around to leave. "Exactly."

What the fuck did that mean?

I heard Emmett kiss Rose and whisper quietly for a moment, and then he told her he was going for a quick shower. I saw him pass by the kitchen on the way to his room. He shot me a quick glare before shutting the door behind him. I exited the kitchen and went back into the living room. Rose was seated in my spot on the couch. It took everything in me not to shove her off. But I was sure I could get her riled up enough to move.

"You know, my brother has fucked all sorts of pussies," I told her casually. "Yours is probably just another one of his afternoon delights. I'm pretty sure you'll get tossed aside tonight for the next blonde, but try not to cry." I sat down next to her and waited for her to get up, but she didn't move an inch.

She didn't even look at me, but instead, glared at the television and changed the channels with the remote. She stopped when it got to the program with the talking trains, and set the remote down gently next to her. "Damn, Cullen. Do you say that sort of shit to your three chicks?" Rose asked in a controlled tone.

My heart skipped a beat and my breathing became unsteady. How did she know about them? I decided to play it off. "I don't know what you're talking about."

She laughed lightly. "Oh, you don't? Irina, Kate, and Tanya, is it?" My eyes bugged out and my stomach clenched. "Yeah, you're all sorts of horndog."

"I care about Bella," I declared. I didn't know how she found that out, but I knew instantly she would run to tell Bella. I just hoped Rose believed me. I was beginning to believe it myself.

"You care about yourself," she said. She suddenly turned to me, her eyes feral and sinister. "Listen to me. I know all about you and what you do with women. I know how you meet them, trick them into falling for you, and then toss them like they're yesterday's catch of the day." Her voice got lower and more sharp. "Bella is my friend. My _best _friend. And if you think I wouldn't tell her about this in a heartbeat, you're damn wrong."

I tried not to show it, but I was shaking on the inside. I was terrified. I couldn't even control it. I felt a mixture of desperation and loss. I was desperate because the last thing I wanted Bella to find out was that I was playing her. That would kill her. But I was feeling at a loss, because Rose held Bella and me's future in the palm of her hand. She could tell Bella everything, and then that'd be it for us. I'd never see her again. I felt like I was going to lose Bella, and that made me ache deep in my chest. It made my stomach plummet and my throat constrict.

"So, why don't you just tell her, then?" I asked quietly.

She stood and stretched, the anger completely gone from her face. "Because she's not the one who will get hurt in the end." She began walking away towards Emmett's room, but spun around to face me. "Oh, and for the record, I won't be telling her, but don't think for a second that I wouldn't if you piss Emmett off again." She turned around and disappeared into Emmett's room.

Ten minutes later, Emmett came out of his room, completely dressed. He didn't bother to look at me as he disappeared into the kitchen. I sighed and stood from the couch. I walked into the kitchen, watching as Emmett poured himself a glass of water.

"Hey, man. I'm sorry about what I said earlier," I told him genuinely. Emmett and I rarely fought for real. Our fights were always playful and over in a second, but never to the point where he would ignore me because of it.

He took a sip from his glass and then looked at me. "It's fine, bro," he said. "Don't worry about it."

And that was that. There was no need to go into it. I said sorry; he accepted.

"I think I wanna get out of here," I admitted. I was feeling fucking grumpy and needed to snap out of it. And I knew there was only one way I could feel better. "Maybe I'll go see Bella or something."

Emmett nodded. "Sounds good."

I scratched the back of my neck nervously. "Do you have her home address?" I asked. I wasn't sure if she'd be angry if I just showed up at her place, but I wanted to see her. Hopefully, she'd want to see me.

"Yeah," he answered, and began looking around for something. "I'll write it down."

After I found out she lived not too far from me, I jumped in my car and drove over to her apartment. I was praying she'd be awake. She seemed like an early bird, since there were a few times I'd called her in the morning and she actually picked up, sounding well-rested.

Her apartment building was pretty nice. It was fairly large, holding a lot of apartments, and was painted simply white. After I parked my car, I walked to the front door of the building. The door was wide open, held open by some phonebooks. I picked up the phonebooks and closed the door behind me. It wasn't safe at all to have the door blatantly open like that. What if a serial killer tried to murder Bella? All because some douchebag had kept the door open with phonebooks. Instead of putting them all down, I brought one phonebook with me to the elevator. Emmett was always losing the phonebooks at the club, so it didn't hurt to have extra. I pressed the floor Emmett said to go to, and stepped out when the elevator opened. Her door was right by the elevator, conveniently, so I geared myself up to knock. I was actually really looking forward to seeing her.

I could hear loud music vibrating through her door. It sounded like those corny, romantic boy band songs. Someone was singing inside, too. Badly. Like a cat drowning in a bathtub. They were off-key and it sounded like they were jumping up and down. I smiled and knocked three times. The music volume instantly lowered and footsteps grew louder. The door flew open to reveal a panting Bella. I frowned instantly when I saw her expression. She looked terrified to see me. When I scanned her body, I saw she was wearing a worn out Backstreet Boys concert T-shirt that appeared two sizes too small. I looked lower. Her jeans were washed out and tight, accenting her curves. They were ripped and frayed heavily. I noticed there were random words and colorful drawings all over the legs.

I couldn't help but wonder…why did the way she look so familiar to me?

* * *

**A/N:**

**Oh shiz! I'd be terrified too if my "boyfriend" found me wearing an old BSB concert shirt. So, why do you think she's scared for real? **

**You're probably wondering why Edward was so PMS-y this chapter. Plain and simple: he's confused. He doesn't know why he's thinking the way he's thinking. **

**Alright, see ya sexbombs next Testosterone Tuesday. **

**P.S If you want to see Bella's 90's vintage concert tee, check it out on my profile, which will also come in handy for next chapter. **

**twitter: xrxdanixrx  
**


	15. Edge

**A/N:**

**Response to the last chapter was awesome, thank you! You have no idea how many messages I got from readers saying they have that exact shirt Bella wore. lol. I, unfortunately, don't, because I was an NSYNC-er. Don't hate.**

**[seriousness]On a non-funny note, I'd like to ask any readers who want to utilize reviews to nitpick at tiny errors in my chapter to please stop. Though I appreciate the review regardless, it's a total downer for me to see a review filled with nothing but insubstantial mistakes that were unfortunately overlooked, and it makes me less in the mood to write another chapter. I'm a beta, my beta is a beta, and I proofread this like 10 times before I post (no joke), but there are just some things that get overlooked. So, please. Cease and desist. [/seriousness] Spank you very much.**

**Thanks to my lovely beta Lindz26 for getting this back to me today, even though I was super slacking in writing this chapter.**

**And a special happy belated birthday to my love Belindella. I'm still waiting for my damn cheesecake slice. Go read Forgettable, it's amazing!**

* * *

_**Previously...**_

**Edward goes a bit loco and pms-y while wrestling around with his feelings. He decides to go see Bella, but finds her in an outfit that might've sparked his memory...**

* * *

**~*EDGE*~  
*BELLA***

"Oh my God, Jazz, I can't believe you still have all this!" I exclaimed.

Jasper had stopped over this morning, dragging an incredibly large cardboard box down the hall of my mementos I'd let gather over our teen years in his childhood room at his parents' house. I'd spent more time at his house than mine because his parents were rich and my parents…well…weren't. Needless to say, his room was super cool.

Jasper groaned. "I spent more time shoving your crap in this box than gathering my own belongings."

I sifted through everything in the box, making loud noises as I shoved my hand in. I picked up an old Tamogotchi with a broken screen. Surprisingly, it still worked. "Why did I ever like this thing?" I shook it, the screen spazzing out, and then threw it back in the box.

"Because it kept you busy in class when you'd finish all your assignments before everyone else," he answered with a chuckle.

I scoffed. "Don't remind me what a nerd I was, please." I picked up an unfamiliar doll that looked like one of those prostitute looking Bratz dolls. "What the hell? This isn't mine…"

Jasper shifted his eyes and grabbed it at the speed of light. "Oh…uhhh..." he fumbled, and set it on the ground next to him.

I raised an eyebrow and continued looking through the contents of the box. "I'm not even going to ask," I muttered. "Why did you bring me all of this?"

"My parents decided to turn my room into a state of the art gym or some crap. I don't even know," he explained with a hint of malice to his tone. "They said to come clean up the room and put everything into boxes, and when I found most of your stuff, I thought you might want it."

I snorted. "That's such a parent thing to do. But hey, at least they're caring about the way they look, since they're old and stuff."

He laughed. "Yeah, soon that'll be you. You know, 'old and stuff'."

I clicked the roof of my mouth with my tongue. "I'll never be old, Jazz. I will forever remain young and beautiful until the day I die," I said jokingly, though I secretly wished that were true.

He rolled his eyes. "Since when did you get to be so conceited?"

I grabbed a yellow and white glove near the bottom of the box. "Hey! My Power Rangers glove," I noted, ignoring him completely as I pushed my hand into it. When I couldn't push my fingers any further than halfway, I took it off. "That show was so racist. The Asian girl was in the yellow suit, the black guy was in the black suit, the white guy was in the white, and the white chick was in the pink…"

I looked up and noticed Jasper was gone. I peered over my shoulder and saw my bedroom door was wide open. I began to panic. There was something in there I didn't want him to see.

"Jasper? Why are you in my room?" I yelled out in a sudden flurry of anger and desperation. Before I could stand up to drag him out of there, he came back out into the living room, holding a wadded up tissue paper.

"Relax," he said, sniffling. "I was just getting a tissue."

I breathed a sigh of relief, the tension I felt in my body slowly easing. I usually never minded him going into my bedroom, since I had nothing to hide…up until recently.

As a joke, Rose had gotten me this spiral bound notebook that said on the cover "_All men are animals...Some just make better pets._" I laughed for twenty minutes because of it. She said that I should keep it as a journal to document my progress with Edward. On the first page, she'd written the five phases of Edward's demise, or as Rose labeled it, "The Five Phases to Make Edward Cullen's Balls Shrivel." The pages after were blank so that I could write whatever I wanted, which I did. I mainly kept track of small things I'd noticed, like him calling me a million times after I'd left the club with Jasper. But I didn't write in it too much because I hadn't been certain exactly how much progress I'd made…except for last night.

At the club, after our _amazing _kiss, things seemed different. _He_ seemed different. To be honest, he looked like he was going to throw up. I was genuinely worried for him, which I shouldn't have been, but I wasn't a total bitch. He said he needed a drink, so I let him get us some. I took the opportunity to text Alice, telling her to watch him, just in case he got any sudden ideas to ask our bartenders about the owners of the club. She didn't reply, so I had no clue what he was up to, but when I saw her stalking around nearby, I knew she'd gotten my text. I had to hand it to her, she may have been a stickler, but when it came to our club, she was always game to improving it and protecting it, and I loved her for it.

I sat there patiently, waiting for him to return. I was surprised when they both came back together. Alice whispered in my ear that Jasper was going to help her out with the club, so I was free to leave if I wanted to, plus I didn't want another Jasper versus Edward repeat. She also told me that she overheard Edward threatening Jacob about something and that she'd call me on my cell later to tell me what he said. _That_ I was interested in. So, I quickly guzzled my drink down a bit too fast, wanting to get the hell out of there so I could find out what exactly he said. But, when Edward called me baby, I stopped my overly anxious thoughts.

Edward had called me _babe _once before, but that was out of possessiveness because it was clear he wanted to get laid and Seth was interrupting that by showing up at his apartment. Yet, the way he had called me baby at the club, it was almost…natural. It was like he'd said it a million times before to me. I didn't even think he realized he'd said it, because when Alice and I looked at him with inquiring expressions, he looked at us the same exact way. But I realized…I actually liked that he called me that. For a moment, I felt like we were just a normal couple out for the night. I knew then that those exact thoughts were dangerous, and I had to leave immediately to get myself back in control, because we weren't a normal couple. We were Edward Cullen, the womanizer, and Bella Stork, the woman trying to destroy his ego. So, I got the hell out of there, not even giving Edward a backward glance.

As soon as I got in the car, Alice called me and told me Edward went home. She immediately divulged into the conversation she had overheard being partaken between Jacob and Edward. Edward had, apparently, threatened him and told him not to touch me again. Jacob had assumed I was his girlfriend, and Edward didn't even correct him on it. Alice also told me that after I left, she could tell how badly Edward had it for me and that he looked like his puppy had died when I left the club.

I was shocked, to say the least. I'd had my doubts that maybe what I was doing wasn't working. I was fairly confident that it would've worked sooner or later, but I was impatient and wanted him to succumb now. So, I was immensely thrilled to hear his drastic change in attitude; calling me baby, threatening guys who liked me, not correcting them when they called me his girlfriend, and being disheartened over my exit.

It was all working. Everything I had done was finally paying off.

So, when I got home, I wrote everything down in my hokey little journal, wanting to revel in my achievements. I briefly considered going into phase three, but decided to hold off a little, just to be one hundred percent sure of Edward's change. The only way to do that would be to tempt him with sex. If he took up the offer shamelessly, I'd know he wasn't ready, but if he turned it down, even the slightest, then I could easily slip into phase three of making him fall in love with me. Maybe I'd go to his place today and test it out…

I was broken out of my thoughts by Jasper's incessant sniffling.

"Are you sick or something? Why are you snotting all over the place?" I asked him, irritated.

He sniffled again. There was definitely a lot of stuff up his nose. "I don't know. I think it's 'cause I was outside with Alice pretty late last night," he said, sitting back down on the floor near the box.

I rolled my eyes. "Are you two dating?" I asked bluntly. I was sick of them toeing around. There was clearly something up with them.

He looked around the apartment cautiously. Rose and Alice weren't even here. Alice had woken up early and went to the gym, while Rose…well, I had no idea where Rose was. I hadn't seen her since last night in our office.

His eyes focused back on mine, and he sighed. "Yeah, we're dating," he said quietly.

I slowly smiled. "You're dating?" I asked again, just to make sure.

He nodded shyly.

I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to me into a tight, body breaking hug. "You're dating!" I exclaimed.

He sniffled and gasped for air in my ear. "Bella," he choked. "You're killing me. I can't breathe."

"That's too bad!" I said, swaying our bodies side to side. I let go and beamed at him. "So, how did it happen?"

He shook his head a bit, looking dizzy. I guess I was much stronger than I realized. "Well, remember Monday when we were at Satyr?" he questioned.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, the night you word raped me."

He scowled instantly. "What? I didn't word rape you. You didn't even listen to what I had said to you, did you?"

I casually began searching through the box for more memories. I knew this would end with him bringing up his views on Edward again. "Suuuure I did," I lied.

"Bella," he scolded.

God, did he ever know how to just drop something? "Stop," I whined and planted myself head first into the box in frustration. The blood rushed to my face as I suspended my head upside down. "You're killing me."

"Yeah, but Edward—" he began to say, before I sat up straight and huffed loudly.

"Stop. Just stop," I ordered. "Can you please tell me about Alice?"

He gave me one of those pointed looks that I'd seen one too many times issued by my mother after I'd forgotten to take out the trash or something, then he smiled. "So, Alice asked me to dance, and I was sort of surprised how forward she was being. She'd always been shy around me." I didn't want to tell him that the only reason she took the initiative was because I had told her to distract him any way she could. But, I'd let him think she came on to him on her own. "And, I don't know…I sort of got the courage from that to be a bit more honest about the way I felt for her. We didn't decide on anything that night, but agreed to take things slow for now, even though I really didn't want to." He took a deep breath. "But, then, last night, she asked me to come to the club and help her out, and, of course, I jumped at the chance to spend time with her—By the way…was the naked men thing your idea? I mean, I can't imagine it was because that's just not you, but—"

I furrowed my brow and cut him off. "Never mind that, just finish what you were saying for God's sake."

He groaned. "Anyway, after we closed up, I took her back to my place and…" He began to look uncomfortable and shifted around a bit.

"And what?" I egged on.

"Well, you know that Jacuzzi at my apartment?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow in question. "Yeah…"

"Yeah, we…had sex in that," he admitted bashfully. "Twice…"

I gasped loudly, and then snorted, which turned into a full on laugh. "Wow," I mused. "It was like, thirty degrees last night. And, so, now you're sick 'cause of all the freezing Jacuzzi sex."

"No, I'm not sick," he said, but his "no" sounded like "do."

I rolled my eyes and began perusing through the box again. Shifting random things aside, I came across a light blue fabric. I instantly recognized it. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed in surprise. I pulled out a ripped up pair of jeans with colorful drawings on it. "My jeans!"

Jasper laughed. "Oh, wow. That brings back memories."

I held the fabric in my hands, observing the drawings. I'd worn this pair pretty much once a week for my entire senior year. In class, I'd added weird drawings to it with my sharpies. Sometimes, Jasper would draw on them, too. I enjoyed it. I felt like a human canvas and my jeans were my way of expressing my deep, emotional, psychologically rooted feelings.

"Hey, look at this one you drew," Jasper said, pointing to a red drawing.

_**2 COOL  
**_

_**4 SCOOL  
**_

_**^H**_

Very deep.

Along with my awesome drawings, I'd written Edward's initials on the crotch, exactly where the inseam was. Yes, I was a bit perverted, but more than that, I didn't want anyone seeing my obsession with him. They wouldn't have seen his initials unless I spread my legs, which I wouldn't unless it was for him. I had a whole fantasy that one day, I'd spread my legs and he'd see the initials and then profess his undying love for me and then we'd make out like crazy. That never happened. And how exactly did I get his initials on my crotch? Well, I would never reveal that secret…

"I wonder if they still fit you," Jasper pondered.

I snorted. "Of course they still fit me," I said pompously. I hadn't gained any weight since high school.

"Well…" he trailed off, eyeing my stomach. "You're not exactly the same size…"

My nostrils flared. "I am _too_ the same size," I barked.

"Okay," he laughed, and looked inside the box.

"You don't believe me?" I questioned, fisting the fabric of the jeans hard with a She-Hulk vice grip.

He shook his head casually, not looking at me at all. "Not really," he said. I could see a small smile creep across his face, which bugged the shit out of me.

"Asshole," I cursed, and stood. "I'll show you." I stomped off towards the bathroom, holding my high school jeans.

"Wait!" he called behind me. I turned, and he threw a dark blue shirt my direction, which I couldn't even catch. "I bet that doesn't fit you, either."

I glowered at him and snatched the shirt from the ground, then shut the door as soon as I was in the bathroom. I took off my jeans, throwing it over the toilet, and then placed my feet into the pant legs of the jeans one by one. When I got it up past my hips, I smiled victoriously. "Not exactly the same size, my ass," I muttered to myself. But when I went to button them up, I gasped for air. The waistline cut into my stomach, preventing me from hardly breathing. "God, who the hell made these? Smurfs?" I squatted a few times to loosen them up, which barely helped.

I threw off my tank, admiring my braless tits in the mirror. One thing that definitely wasn't the same since high school were my breasts. They'd grown significantly after my senior year. It was better late than never, I supposed.

I positioned the navy blue T-shirt over my head and down my torso. It was a bit small, probably because it'd shrunk over the years, but it still fit, of course. When I looked in the mirror at what exactly was on the front, I had to laugh. I was obsessed with the Backstreet Boys in school. I had Backstreet Boys posters everywhere in my childhood room. I'd even forced my mom to buy me J-14 magazines whenever she'd gone to the store so I could see if there was anything new about Nick Carter.

When I was done looking at myself in the mirror, I swung open the bathroom door. "I told you it fits," I announced to Jasper's back as he played with an old Etch A Sketch.

He turned around and looked at me. He broke out into laughter instantly, which caused me to frown.

"Why are you laughing, you jerk?" I yelled, looking down at myself.

"I told you they wouldn't fit," he said through annoying fits of laughter.

I grunted in frustration and walked back over to the box. When I sank down to the ground on my knees, my jeans button snapped open, causing Jasper to laugh again like a damn hyena.

"The button hole is just stretched, that's all," I reasoned seriously, and rebuttoned it. It stuck this time.

"Yeah, keep telling yourself that," he said. "Look, I got something to go with your outfit." He pulled out a black and blue CD cover, literally called "Black and Blue" by the Backstreet Boys.

"Ahh!" I shouted in excitement, and yanked it out of his hand. I opened the case and took out the CD. "I gotta put this on right now."

Jasper went rigid and shook his head frantically. "Oh, no, no. Please, don't, Bella," he pleaded.

"Why not?" I asked incredulously, standing up.

"I had to go to those damn boy band concerts with you back then. I refuse to relive those moments in my adulthood."

I rolled my eyes and walked over to the stereo, turning my back to him. "You loved them and you know it." I carefully placed the CD into the slot and tuned it to a random number. A slow song came on, echoing throughout the room. "Oh my God! _Shape of My Heart_. I love this song." I turned back to Jasper. "Jazz, remember—" I cut myself off when I realized I was alone in the apartment, the front door wide open. "Coward!" I shouted after him.

I walked over to the door and peeked into the hallway, just in case he was hiding out there, but it was completely empty. He'd really gone. I huffed and slammed the door shut.

Now that I was alone, I took advantage and began to sing along to the track, jumping up and down to the song. The beat was slow, but I didn't care. It was like being a teenager again, even though I hated thinking about it most of the time. There was still an innocence about myself back then that I missed, that was no longer with me. It was nice to pretend I was that again.

What I hadn't prepared myself for was just how amazing my singing voice was. "Looking back on the thiiiings I've doooone, I was trying to be someone. I played my paaaart; kept you in the darrrrk. NOW LET ME SHOW YOU THE SHAPE OF MY HEAAAART-" My above par singing was, sadly, interrupted by knocking on the door.

I giggled, knowing Jasper had probably come back to join in. Though he said he hated the boy band era, I'd caught him, on more than one occasion, mouthing the words when I'd listened to them. He was such a liar.

I turned down the volume and walked over to the door, preparing to rag on Jasper. When I swung the front door open, I hadn't anticipated who was standing there.

My eyes went horrifically wide, the air completely left my lungs, and my hand tightened around the door knob. I instantly became aware of what I was wearing. _My high school outfit. _Shit! This wasn't good. I had to get it off, but I couldn't just strip right here.

Could I?

_NO! _

Shit!

"Bella…my God…" Edward breathed softly, his eyes roaming all over my body.

_Oh no. Oh no. Please tell me he doesn't recognize me. _

I took a few steps back into the apartment. He matched my steps, following my in. He never took his eyes off my body. Even though I was fully clothed, I felt completely naked. The way he was looking at me was…intense. I knew I'd been busted. There was no way he didn't recognize me now with the way he was looking at me.

"Um, Edward…" I started nervously, "I can explain—"

He cut me off, touching his index finger to my lips lightly. I eyed it, wondering why he was doing that. He trailed his finger around my lips, outlining the full shape. He stepped even closer to me, his body dangerously close to mine, his nose but a mere inch away from my own. His eyes flashed from surprise to something dark, something feral and aggressive. He was pissed. I stared at him with fear in my eyes, fear that I'd be crucified for lying to him. Fear that my heart would be broken again by his words of rejection, just like all those years ago. I didn't think my heart could take it twice by the same man who'd managed to invade my thoughts again.

His hand snaked up my cheek and into the tangles of my hair, finding refuge behind my head. His fingers pressed harshly into my scalp. My breathing grew uneven, anticipating what he might do next. Was he going to kill me? I didn't see my life flash before my eyes or anything. Maybe he was going to torture me, starting by pulling out my hair. But, those thoughts all subsided the second he yanked my head forward, crashing his lips to mine in a sudden onslaught. He assaulted my bottom lip, sucking it between his own. I remained frozen, my eyes like saucers, completely taken aback by his actions.

He groaned in a sigh and bit my lower lip lightly, then proceeded to press hard, firm kisses along my cheek, jaw, ear, neck, and collarbone.

"Fuck, Bella," he moaned, out of breath as he fisted my hair. He pressed more rough kisses along my jaw and back to my swollen lips. "You look so fucking hot right now. You have no idea what you're doing to me." He thrust his hips into mine, and then I could feel it. Holy shit. He had a massive erection.

"What?" I asked dumbly.

He didn't answer me; instead, he grabbed onto my hip with his free hand and slithered it down to my ass. He gave it one big squeeze, causing me to gasp in surprise, and then alternated between rubbing and squeezing hard. His breathing became unstable, ragged, as he began to suck on my neck. I shut my eyes, succumbing to the feeling as a sudden rush of wetness pooled in my panties. I sighed, focusing on the sensation of his soft, moist tongue licking below my ear.

He squeezed my ass harder through my jeans and grunted low in his chest. "Jesus…your ass," he growled. "Fucking amazing…"

I fisted his shirt mindlessly and moaned, overcome with complete pleasure. His lips attacked mine again, and I let him. I was gone. The feel of his lips, his hand caressing my ass, his musky scent…it was all too much. I wanted him. I'd never wanted anyone in my life as much as I wanted him. Maybe I was feeling sexually deprived. Maybe the outfit was messing with my head, emitting my suppressed teenage lust for him. Either way, the desire to feel him, have him on me, all over me, was strong.

I pressed my hips into his, feeling him hard against my stomach. He let out a strangled moan and suddenly withdrew his hand from my hair. I whimpered against his mouth when he cupped my breast, my nipples straining against the fabric of my shirt. He released my lips and planted his forehead against mine, our noses touching slightly.

"Shit, Bella. Are you wearing a bra?" he whispered, fondling my braless tit.

I couldn't speak. All I could do was shake my head in response as the ache in my core grew stronger.

"Fucking hell," he panted. "I need you." I held my breath, trying to mask how much I needed him, too. "I gotta have you, Bella. Please, baby. Let me have you…I can't…" His lips found mine again, silencing himself. I kissed him back with a crushing force, handing myself over to his words.

I didn't care about the scheme anymore. I didn't want to do it. I needed him. Right now. I could've cared less if he fucked me then ditched me. I just needed to feel him deep inside me, possessing my body, marking me as his.

I could feel my control slipping further and further into the abyss of my lust for him. I needed to process this. I needed to really know if this was what I wanted…to allow him to win. God knew I would've given myself to him completely right now, but if I could pull myself back for a second, maybe I'd see things differently.

Oh fuck…but I didn't want to.

I hadn't realized, but he'd begun toying with the hem of my shirt, teasing his fingers underneath. His hand slowly inched further up my stomach under my shirt…higher and higher…

I needed an excuse to break away.

"Just let me go change," I whispered against his mouth.

He caressed my stomach, trailing a circle around my belly button. "You don't need to change."

I shook my head, trying to grab onto some semblance of control. "Please…let me…"

He silenced me with a brutal kiss. His cold hand felt like fire against me, grazing the heated skin beneath my breast. My nipples became harder, my heart rate sped up, anticipating his touch. He pulled back from my lips slightly.

"I don't want you to change a thing about the way you look right now," he growled out, and fully enveloped my breast in his large hand, groping it roughly.

"Edward…" I breathed, my control slipping further away.

I suddenly felt as if I was moving backwards, and when I opened my eyes, I realized he was walking us towards my bedroom. My brain began screaming at me, flashing a red alarm bright in my head, telling me not to go in there, but it sounded so distant.

He groaned in my ear, the animalistic sound going straight to my all ready throbbing clit. "I want to pull those hot fucking jeans down to your knees, bend you over your bed, and take you from behind."

I gasped in pleasure, shocked and immensely turned on at his blunt admission. Something was different about him. The Edward I'd known was missing, replaced with this raw, sexy Edward that didn't hold back. Was this how he really was?

His expression suddenly softened. His hand went slack against my breast. His eyes brewed with agonizing torture, a war waging behind them with lust and uncertainty.

"Shit," he blurted in a breath. "I'm so fucking sorry…I don't know what's…" He searched my eyes, which, I'm sure, appeared turned on, interlaced with confusion. "Tell me to stop…" His tone was desperate, urgent. I'd never heard such pain in his voice before. "God, Bella. If you don't tell me to stop, I'll—"

"What the fuck is going on here?"

We both stopped moving, half way in the doorway to my room. I snapped my head over to the front door, where Rose was standing in all her angry glory.

"Bella, what the hell?" she yelled, eyeing Edward with her usual death glare. "Take your hand out of my friend's shirt!"

Edward looked back at me with a terrified look in his eyes, but he didn't remove his hand. I wasn't sure why he was so scared. I was the one who should've been afraid.

"Bella, can I talk to you, please?" Rose asked calmly.

Edward cleared his throat. "Rose, can I talk to you?" he queried, his voice shaky.

I furrowed my brow. "Why do you want to talk to Rose?" I questioned him.

Tiny footsteps sounded in the hallway outside our apartment, and Alice came running inside.

"Oh my God, guys! I gotta talk to you—" she started to say excitedly before cutting herself off when she saw us. "What's going on? Why is there a box in the middle of the room?" She gasped. "And why is Edward's hand up Bella's shirt?" She squinted a bit. "Are you wearing a bra?"

Edward suddenly went tense. "No, she's not wearing one," he muttered quietly, and retracted his hand from out of my shirt.

Rose scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Pig…" she said quietly.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Alice asked me, a look of disgust on her face.

After a couple seconds of the room being silent, Edward whispered in my ear, "Can we talk?"

"Okay, who the hell is talking to who, because I'm really confused here," I announced loudly.

"_I_ am talking to _you_," Rose said to me and curled her finger towards herself twice, beckoning me over to her.

Edward tightened his hold on my back. "No, wait, Bella," Edward whispered frantically. "I really need to talk to you."

Everyone was confusing me. I had no idea why Rose wanted speak to me, why Edward wanted to speak to her and then now me, and why Alice wanted to speak to both Rose and me. My head was beginning to hurt, but over everyone else, I was more interested in talking to Edward. The problem was, the only place I could talk to him was my bedroom, and now that I could think straight, I couldn't let him in there. I'd never let any guy in there before, so I wasn't sure why I was about to let it happen now. I wanted to beat myself up for allowing myself to give into him, even as sexy as he'd been.

"I'm just going to go change, and then we can go somewhere else," I suggested to Edward, and turned to go into my bedroom, until I was ambushed with everyone talking to me at once.

"Yeah, but, Bella, I need to speak to you—"

"I'm coming in with you—"

"Is that a Tamogotchi?"

"Ahh! Enough!" I screamed. "I am going inside my room _by myself_, and I will be back out here, dressed, and ready to leave with _Edward_." They all looked at me in shock, except for Alice, who was staring down into the box.

I walked into my room and slowly shut the door, watching Edward the entire time. He looked scared yet relieved for some reason. I clicked the door shut and went over to my closet.

"Crazy people…" I muttered.

After I changed out of my blast from the past and into normal clothes, I grabbed my journal off my desk and quickly jotted down how strange Edward was behaving, more importantly, how I almost gave into him sexually. That was definitely a close call. I needed to be more careful next time. Though, I would make sure there wasn't a next time, not until phase four. I hadn't even gone into phase three yet. One thing was for sure, Edward wasn't ready for phase three. If we hadn't been stopped, he would've slept with me. I couldn't prematurely move into the next phase if he wasn't completely ready to ignore his sexual desires.

My phone vibrated on my nightstand. It was probably Jasper. Good thing he ran off earlier like a girl, especially since Edward decided to make an appearance at my apartment…Hold on. How did Edward even get the address to my place?

_**What is the matter with you? Were you going to let him fuck you?  
-Rosalie**_

I groaned, and replied back.

_**No, I was just letting him feel my tits.  
-Bella**_

I briefly wondered if she would be able to see my sarcasm, then again, it was always hard to portray sarcasm with words unless you literally said you were being sarcastic.

My phone instantly vibrated.

_**Baby, are you almost done? Really need to talk.  
-Edward**_

Again with the "baby"! That was definitely my weakness. Every time he'd called me that so far, I nearly creamed myself.

Before I could respond, another text came through.

_**Rose is glaring at Edward. He looks like he's going to crap himself.  
-Alice**_

I didn't know who to text back, but I didn't get a chance to decide because two more texts came through.

_**P.S. I see Bop It in the box. Can I play it with you later?  
-Alice**_

_**Tomorrow is Edward's cut off day.  
-Rosalie**_

"Stop texting me!" I yelled out in aggravation, hoping they'd all hear me. Couldn't I get ready in peace, even though I was ready to go?

I suddenly grew tense, letting Rose's text fully hit me. Cut off day? What did that mean?

I texted Rose back immediately.

_**Go into your room and call me. **_

_**-Bella**_

Within a few seconds, I heard Rose's bedroom door open and slam. I sat down on my bed and bit my lower lip in anticipation for her call. No sooner than ten seconds later, she called.

"Hey," Rose whispered. "God, I want to punch him in the nuts so bad."

I rolled my eyes. "What did you mean 'cut off day'?"

"Well, that's what I wanted to tell you while he had his hand all up your shirt like a goddamn petting zoo. I mean, Jesus Christ, Bella. Don't give him access to the fruit section—"

"Quiet, Rose!" I snapped quietly. "Answer my question."

She cleared her throat. "Emmett told me a couple things about Edward last night. One of them being that Edward has a sort of set plan with women."

"Yes, I already know this, Rose," I said flatly, annoyed.

"No, but he starts on a Thursday with a new woman and then sleeps with them by the next Thursday. So, essentially, tomorrow is his expiration date, I suppose, which is why I freaked out when I came in. I thought he was going to sleep with you and then be done with you tomorrow."

I wrinkled my nose and fell back against my bed. "So, I guess I was right about it being a week." Did this make it better to know when exactly he tried to end his "relationships"? Was that why he was so forward with me earlier? Maybe that was his way of trying to get rid of me so he could move on. "Why did he want to talk to you?"

She laughed. "He's shitting himself 'cause I threatened him this morning, telling him that I knew about his three whores, and that I'd tell you about them if he didn't treat Emmett better."

I gasped and sat up. "Rose! How could you do that? He has to know that you'd tell me something like that regardless."

"Which is probably why he's going nuts right now. He's, literally, pacing outside your room. It's funny as fuck. Anyway, you should've heard him this morning. He was being such a baby and took out his anger on Emmett."

I pinched my nose. "Can you not threaten him anymore? Please?" Last thing I needed was Rose ruining everything.

"Yeah, yeah," she said dismissively. "I can't promise anything. But, seriously, Bella. No more boob groping."

I groaned. "I'm hanging up now."

"If he tries anything, let me know. I'll get my—"

I hung up quickly, not wanting her to finish that sentence. Rose was way too aggressive sometimes and didn't know how to just butt out.

I pushed my phone into my jeans pocket, and stood to leave my room. When I opened the door, Rose had been right; he was pacing right in front of my bedroom with a strained expression marring his features. When he saw me, he instantly closed the distance between us and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked. "You didn't answer my text."

"Uh, yeah," I said, trying to avoid his eyes. "Ready to go?"

He nodded, watching me for a few seconds before leading me over to the door. When we got out into the hallway, I could tell he seemed nervous about something. I had one of two options; I could ask him directly what was wrong, or wait for him to tell me. I didn't think he would tell me willingly, so I figured I'd ask.

"You seem on edge. What's up?" I questioned casually.

He pressed the button for the elevator and stared at the metal door. He opened his mouth a few times and then closed it immediately, his jaw tensing. He really looked like he was struggling to say something. I grabbed his hand, lacing our fingers together. He visibly relaxed, his shoulders slumping, and exhaled.

"I'm really sorry about before," he uttered, tightening his hold on my hand.

The elevator door opened and we stepped inside. He sunk back against the wall, and I stood in front of him, willing him to look at me. "What do you mean?" I asked.

He sighed. "I didn't mean to attack you like that…it's just…" he trailed off, looking even more uncomfortable.

I pressed a hand to his cheek, rubbing my thumb against his stubble. "Just what?" He leaned into my hand slightly. "What did you want to tell me earlier?"

He shook his head against my hand. Fear flashed through his eyes. "No, not here," he said. "I'll take you out for lunch. We'll talk there."

The elevator door opened, and I dropped my hand. We walked out of the elevator and the building in silence. He opened the passenger door of his Vanquish for me, and I climbed inside. We still didn't speak when he got in, or even when he drove away from my apartment. I had no idea where he was taking me and why he was so quiet. It wasn't like I felt like talking myself; I was still trying to process everything that happened, my moment of weakness and the fact that tomorrow would be his official cut off day for me.

I didn't know what would happen once that day passed and we'd still hadn't slept together. What would that mean for us? Would he continue to see me or would he give up and move on to his next conquest? I knew Edward wasn't a quitter, so perhaps he'd still try to seduce me, but there were things about him that took me by surprise. Sometimes, he'd seem so frighteningly genuine. Of course, it was all an act, but it was a very good one. If I didn't know the game myself, I would've definitely fallen for it.

I could see a Bank of America coming up and knew I needed money if we were going to lunch, but I was almost afraid to speak and break the ice. I cleared my throat, warning him that I was going to say something. "Can you pull over in that Bank of America?"

He furrowed his brow. "Why?" he asked quietly.

"I need money," I replied. Wasn't that why people went to a bank?

"You don't need money," he said, his tone harsh and volatile. "I'm paying for lunch,"

God, his moods were all over the place today. I couldn't keep up. I tried to remain relaxed before I told him to just forget it and take me back home. "You know, I could need money in general, too. Can you just pull over, please?" I asked, a bit of a bite to my words.

He groaned and veered the car sharply into the shopping plaza where the bank was. Next to it were a few boutiques, as well as a Chuck E. Cheese's. He jerked the car into park and unbuckled his seat belt hastily.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, unbuckling my own belt.

"Coming with you," he replied in a flat tone, appearing even more tense.

"Edward, I don't need you to come with me to the bank. I'll just be two seconds."

"You know, I could need money in general, too," he spat, throwing my words back at me.

_Okaaaaay… _

This was ludicrous. Now I knew what Rose meant about him acting like a baby. I had no clue how to deal with this in a nice way, so I dealt with it in the only way I knew.

"What the fuck crawled up your fucking ass?" I asked angrily.

He snapped his head to me, looking taken aback for a second. I could see his throat constrict, the veins becoming more prominent. His nostrils flared and his shoulders tensed. Without uttering a word, he opened his door, climbed out, and shut it firmly, abandoning me in the car. I watched as he walked over to the ATM and took out his wallet from his back pocket.

Okay, that was it. I didn't have to take this shit, scheme or not. I decided then and there that I'd go inside, take some money out of my account, and then call Rose to tell her to pick me up. In fact, I'd do that while I was inside. Edward could go off and act like a fuckass on his own.

I pushed open the door and climbed out, not bothering to properly shut it. With my eyes trained straight in front of me, I walked by him at the ATM and into the bank. I could feel his eyes staring into my back the entire time, but I didn't dare turn around to watch him.

As I stood in the long line, waiting for an available teller, I took out my phone and called Rose.

"Yello," a man's deep voice answered jovially.

Yello? What the fuck? "Who is this?" I questioned, looking at the number on the screen to see if I dialed correctly.

"Oh, hey, Bella. It's Emmett. I stopped by your place. She's just in the bathroom. Just so you know, your jeans were on the toilet and she threw them in some box."

I groaned. "God, can you just tell her to put them in my room? And can you also tell her to come pick me up. I'm at the bank down the street. She knows where."

"Aren't you supposed to be with Edward? Where is he?"

"I don't know," I lied. I figured he wouldn't like it that I was going to ditch his flesh and blood.

"You don't know?" he questioned incredulously, and then hmm'd in thought.

"Just tell her to pick me up, will you?" I asked, interrupting his very long, never ending "hmm."

"Yeah, of course."

"Alright, bye," I said, and hung up.

After a few minutes, I finally made it to a teller and got my cash, a little less than what I was going to take out originally, since I wasn't planning on going to lunch with Edward anymore.

I took a deep breath, composing myself, and pushed the doors open, leading back outside. I didn't see Edward as I stepped through, so I figured he was sitting in his car. I had no clue what I was going to say to him or if I was going to say anything at all. As I let the doors shut behind me, I turned in the direction of his Vanquish and saw that it was no longer in the space.

He'd left.

At first, I was in disbelief that he'd just leave me here, then I was pissed at him for being such a bastard and abandoning me, then I felt that familiar pang of rejection, that one that I seemed to always feel around him, no matter what. The kind of rejection that'd haunted me for years.

I knew he was angry about something in the car, but I really didn't think he'd just leave me here like that. Granted, I was going to leave him, too, but it was different; my reason was justified. The whole way over he was quiet, and just when we pulled into the bank, he was moody and an asshole. What changed so drastically? If tomorrow was his cut off day and he realized nothing was going to happen sexually between us, had he given up? Just like that?

Before I could stop myself, tears began to brim my eyes, threatening to spill over. When I blinked and a drop of wetness trickled down the plains of my flushed cheeks, I quickly wiped it away with the back of my hand.

_Get a grip, Bella. He means nothing to you. _

But, that was the thing…he _did_ mean something to me. He meant something enough for me to go through all this trouble to get back at him. He meant something enough to fight like hell to guard my heart against him, to make sure he didn't rip it into a million pieces like he'd done once before. And he meant something enough for me to be standing in front of a bank, staring at an empty parking space, crying over him.

I patted my face dry with my sleeves, and began to walk down the cemented pathway along the plaza. I had no idea where I was going, but walking just felt right. My phone rang in my pocket, and I took it out, seeing that it was Rose on the screen.

"Hey," I greeted, trying not to sound dispirited.

"Hey, I'm on my way," Rose said. "What's wrong? You sound like a dying frog."

I sniffled. "Edward left me here."

"What?" she asked incredulously. "He _left_ you? He abandoned you at the bank?"

I passed two little sweet, blonde headed girls dressed in frilly pink party dresses, holding onto their mother's hands as they walked into the Chuck E. Cheese's. I kept my head down, trying not to let anyone see me crying. "Yeah, pretty much."

"Oh, sweetie…" She was quiet for a moment. "God, I'm gonna fucking castrate your brother."

"What?" I asked. I could hear Emmett in the background talking, and realized she was speaking to him. "No, _Rose_, don't tell him." I was all ready embarrassed enough.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm leaving right now. See you in a few." She hung up without another word.

I kept walking down along the plaza, figuring I should go back to the bank so Rose could see me easily, but I couldn't bother to turn around now. So, I kept walking. When I reached the end of the shopping center, I stopped and took a shaky breath, closing my eyes. I could get over this. I could move past this and let Edward be an unfortunate blip in my life. I could move on, go back to what I was doing before, living my life, having fun screwing around. I could do it. I didn't need him.

I opened my eyes. My ears were suddenly assaulted with the distant sound of grunting. I turned my head in the direction of the strange noise, and instantly felt the air rush out of my lungs.

"Oh my God! Stop!" I screamed.

Around the side of the plaza, Edward hovered over a man in a giant rat costume, punching him in the gut as he lay on the ground, lifeless.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Yeah…still with me? I hope so. So, Edward didn't technically leave, but whether he abandoned her or not…I guess that's up for debate and will be explained in the next chapter.**

**On my profile there are some pics of things from this chapter; ie, the drawings on Bella's high school jeans. Some are mentioned in this chapter, and some aren't. Go see how freaky she is.**

**Because I feel bad for the emo-ness of this chapter, I'll offer a teaser for the next chapter if you review.**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**Make sure to vote for Hate Me at the Twilight All Human awards for the fic that had you crying with laughter!**

_**twilightallhumanawards . webs . com/voting . htm**_


	16. Rage

**A/N:**

**Ooooh I loved all your reviews for last chapter, which was the most reviews I've gotten so far. I'm starting to worry you might all have a rat fetish…I'm not sure how to handle this. But I laughed hard at all your rat comments and BSB-love declarations. Though, I have to say, I giggled for ten minutes at one review that said "who knew E was a BSB fan". Thank you so much for that. Haha. Yes, Edward has a man-crush on Howie. *snickers* **

**And Geez…the hatin' on Rosalie was strong. You guys really want these two to get laid, even though the point is for Edward not to get laid…at least not yet. lol. Come on ladies…girl power! **

**Thanks to my rockstar beta Lindz26, you are fabulous! And a special thanks to those that keep me going by messaging me and showing love on twitter.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward tells Bella he needs to tell her something, but things get tense when Edward has a drastic change in mood. Bella thought she was abandoned by Edward at the bank, until she sees him punching a man in a rat costume.

* * *

**

**~*RAGE*~  
*EDWARD***

I stared at her back as she walked into the bank, her eyes trained anywhere but at me. She opened the door, walked in, and disappeared inside…away from me.

And I was glad.

I grabbed the money the ATM spat at me and jammed it into my wallet. Turning back towards the car, I noticed she left the door open.

_Fucking hell…_

Any person could've jumped in and hijacked my fucking car, but no…she didn't give a shit. How fucking hard was it to close a goddamn door? Any fucking moron would know how.

I walked over and carefully shut the door. In the mood I was in, I would've slammed the shit out of it, but my Vanquish was my baby. I would never take my anger out on a poor unsuspecting vehicle. It was the only thing in my life that was constant and made me happy. Well…maybe not the only thing. There was one other thing that made me happy. Something special and wonderful…

_My fucking club._

I leaned up against my car, glaring at the bank door as if it was the fucking Antichrist. Yes, I was in a fucking shitty ass mood. I knew that. I didn't fucking care.

My whole morning had been bullshit, starting with goddamn _Rose_ finding out somehow that I had three women at my disposal. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that my brother must've told that bitch. How the fuck else could she have known? My brother was a fucking traitor, though. And that was fucking bullshit. I would've never told any random bitch about his secrets. That he fucking farted all the goddamn time. Yeah, but next time he found a dumbass broad, I'd fucking tell her straight off the bat about his fucking gas.

Later, when I'd gone over to Bella's apartment, all I'd wanted to do was see her. It was weird. It was like I was drawn to her at that moment, and it felt completely right to be at her place. I'd wondered why I'd waited that long to visit her there. But, when she'd opened the door...dressed in that outfit…_holy shit_. I didn't know what it was, the jeans or the gay ass shirt—no, definitely not the gay ass shirt—but, God, something about the way she looked set me on fire. I wanted to devour her, to take her right then and there—fast, slow, whatever pace, just as long as I got to be inside her at that moment. I couldn't even control myself. My rational thoughts were being squashed by my raging fucking hard on that wanted to burst free and take her with those hot fuckass jeans wrapped around her knees.

It was odd, though. I mean, they were just jeans…and weird ones, at that. There was a fucking drawing of a kid picking his nose on it, for fuck's sake…but it was all so much more than that. Something about the way she looked seemed so familiar to me, and I couldn't put my finger on it to save my life, but either way, she fucking looked sexy as hell. Maybe it was the familiarity that had me so keyed up, I didn't know.

When she'd begun backing up into her apartment, I wanted to lunge at her. She looked so confused and, actually, pretty scared. With the small amount of control I could muster up, I silenced her by placing a finger on her goddamn beautiful, sultry lips, trying to put her at ease. I figured she was scared because I was staring at her like she was the finest fucking glass of wine in the world. The woman probably wasn't used to someone trying to attack her.

I'd never been so turned on by a woman before. I'd had sex, and lots of it, across the years, but I'd never felt that all consuming need to take someone before, to sheath myself in their heat and want to stay there forever. I wasn't used to the feeling. Sex had always been more of a game with the release as its reward. But I'd never wanted to partake in sex because I'd wanted the chick so bad that my dick couldn't breathe. And that was exactly how it was with Bella. All. The. Fucking. Time. But, especially at that particular moment with those hot fucking jeans on.

When I'd damn well jumped her, I was surprised at how much she responded. Perhaps she wanted me just as bad as I wanted her. Sexual tension had run high between us, so maybe we had let it blow up too much to the point of bursting. At least, that was how it felt for me. It was like a rubber band had been stretched and stretched, and finally, it had snapped.

What I hadn't prepared myself for was just how far we were getting all in one shot. She wanted it. I knew it. I sure as fuck wanted it. I couldn't help myself when I grabbed her perfect tit. It was like my dick took over. My mind had been switched off or something. I couldn't think straight. All I could absorb was the fact that her tits felt like…_fuck…_they felt good. So real and firm and fucking _Bella_. I knew then and there that I wasn't about ready to burst out of my jeans because I was feeling tits; I'd felt a lot of those in the past, but no, it was because I was feeling _hers_. And she hadn't been wearing a bra, either, which was like fucking Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Hanukkah all wrapped up in one. I didn't even care that I'd been groping fucking _Howie's_ head. Don't fucking ask how I knew his goddamn name.

The connection between my mouth and my dick suddenly formed out of nowhere and then I was telling her I had to fucking have her right there. In my head, I knew what I was saying was wrong, only because I didn't want to scare her away, but one look at her half hooded eyes had told me that she was feeling the exact same way. It gave me all the more incentive to just be…myself. Instead of walking on egg shells around her, I just let loose. I'd felt so untamed and uninhibited, to not be so focused on the game, to not watch my step and carefully construct my words to please.

Before I knew what was happening, my hand was up her shirt, grabbing the shit out of her fantastic, soft tit, and I was backing her up towards what I assumed was her bedroom. It was the only door in there that was wide open. I was going to fucking have her finally, and I was going to goddamn enjoy savoring every fucking minute of it. But, when I told her that I wanted to fuck her from behind, she gasped, shocked at my admission…and then everything fucking stopped, and my damn conscience came back. I couldn't take her like that. She wasn't a fucking animal. She was _Bella_. She'd probably never done anything like what I'd wanted to do to her at that moment. I was so torn. I told her to tell me to stop, but I also wanted to be inside her, to sink myself so fucking deep within her. I couldn't make up my mind. My control was teetering on the edge, about ready to make the plunge. And then…

Rose.

Fucking _Rose_!

The second she'd told Bella she wanted to talk to her, I panicked. I knew whatever she was going to tell her was about me, and that was the only thing that would've made Bella think twice about me having my hand up her shirt. I knew that I had to say anything, do anything to stop Bella from finding out what I didn't want her to know. At least, I didn't want her to find out from Rose specifically, because God only knew that she would've made me out to be some fucking monster who went around having threesomes and banging random chicks every day of the week. I hadn't even so much as thought about any of the KIT girls since Bella and I had started seeing each other more. Bella had to know that. So, my brilliant idea was that I'd fucking tell her myself about the girls. It was the only way I knew how to avoid what I feared. More than anything, I was scared Bella would leave me as a result of my less than honorable actions. I shouldn't have fucking cared, but I did. If that meant telling her myself, I'd do it. Somehow, I thought that I could phrase it in a way that wouldn't make me out to seem bad…I didn't really know. I was just going to wing it.

When we'd left her place, though, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had no fucking clue what I was doing. I was basically handing myself over to the lions. Bella wouldn't believe me. Why the hell would she? And what would I possibly say? "Hey, Bella, I have these three women who I, occasionally, call up just to release some sexual tension. It's not a big deal, and I haven't called them in days. So, are we cool?" Absolutely fucking not. If I were any sane girl, and thank God I fucking wasn't, I wouldn't have believed that crap.

So, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was the worst possible idea to tell her about them, but that now, I had to, otherwise Rose would for sure. I mean, they were best friends. Why wouldn't Rose tell Bella what she knew? Especially if it meant protecting her. A part of me sort of admired Rose for that, but another part—actually, a larger part—wanted to rip out her stupid blonde hair and donate it to the damn Locks of Love foundation. I'd donated my hair there a few times…I wasn't a _total _fucking monster.

When we'd driven away from her apartment, and everything sank in, I began to think the worst. Bella would break up with me for sure. She'd be heartbroken. I didn't want to fucking do that to her. I couldn't fucking do that to her. Yet, I still had to tell her. There was no way around it. It all pissed me off. I wanted to be honest with her, but I knew she was going to leave me for my honesty. When she'd told me she wanted to go to a bank to get money, I'd snapped at her. I couldn't fucking help it. It wasn't because of the fact that she was trying to pay—which was slightly annoying—but it was more to do with the fact that I wouldn't get to see her ever again after lunch. I just knew it. And the more I dwelled on it, the more I became insane with anger to the point of taking it out on her. I fucking knew that I was, but I also knew that it was better to take it out on her than to have to deal with my own fucking misery.

I was shocked when she barked at me, calling me out on my behavior. This woman had always surprised me. Sometimes, she'd been the sweetest girl, and other times she'd been someone else entirely. It confused the hell out of me, but more than that, it pissed me off even more that she could tell something was up. So, I pulled away from her, because pulling away from her was much easier than her pulling away from me, which was bound to happen. Perhaps it was better this way, for my own fucking sanity…and for her sake.

I sighed as I continued to stare at the bank door. She was taking a long time in there, but I was relieved. It'd give me more time to calm down, to hopefully take my mind off the impending doom I was about to face. Luckily, my phone rang, and I was more than willing to answer if that meant a distraction. But, when I saw the screen, I wasn't as willing as before.

"What the fuck do you want, Emmett?" I asked bitterly.

"Uh, hello to you, too, you fucking jackass," Emmett snapped.

My nostrils flared. "I don't fucking say hello to _traitors_."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Don't fucking talk to me, Em. You fucking traitor," I spat. "How could you tell that bitch about something I trusted you with? I fucking _trusted_ you. Now she's gonna fucking tell Bella everything. I had to dodge a goddamn bullet back at her place, and now I'm forced to tell her—you know what? Fuck you…I can't believe I'm telling you this shit when I can't even trust my own brother."

He exhaled heavily into the phone, causing loud crackling noises. "You're blaming me even though this is your own clusterfuck? Brother, you're not thinking straight. Look, I'm sorry I told Rose about the KIT girls, but—"

"No, fuck you, Em. I don't even want to hear—" I began to say before he cut me off.

"Shut up and be mature for like, a second, goddamnit. Maybe one day you'll meet someone and fall in love with them, and then maybe you'll understand where I was coming from."

I eyed the bank door again and swallowed hard. "That'll never happen."

"Not yet, bro. But, I see the way you are with Bella."

"_Excuse _me?" I questioned in disbelief. What the fuck did he know about how I was with Bella?

"She's different and you know it. God, you both are like…I don't even…You're both just so…" he trailed off.

I furrowed my brow in frustration and anger. "What the fuck are you talking about? Have you fucking gone insane? Do you know what tomorrow is? Thursday. Tomorrow, I'm done with her. That's it. And then, I'll never have to fucking see her face again." Though I spoke the words, I couldn't deny the heavy feeling that dwelled in the pit of my stomach.

"That's not exactly true. Her best friend is my girlfriend, and I have no plans on us separating," Emmett admitted.

I let out a harsh laugh. "Fucking girlfriend, Em? _Fuck._ Where the fuck is my brother? This is fucking bullshit."

"Watch your fucking mouth. Don't forget I'm fucking older than you, and it seems, more fucking mature. When the hell are you going to grow up and stop your shitting around?" he asked. "Look, that's not why I called. I'm just calling to tell you to get your act together and apologize to Bella, whatever you did. Bella just called Rose to tell her to pick her up at the bank."

My body went rigid, and my heart felt like it sunk eighty feet into my stomach. "What?" I asked quietly.

"See," he said. "You have feelings for her. Stop denying—"

My anger was back full force. "Fuck you, Emmett!" I growled, and hung up. I turned off my phone while I was at it, too. I didn't fucking need his ass telling me bullshit like that. I didn't fucking have feelings for her. He didn't fucking know anything!

I spun around and placed my hands on the roof of my car, leaning my weight against it. That same feeling I had last night at the club was starting to surface again, that anxious, all consuming, sick feeling.

"Mommy, I don't feel so good…"

I turned my head at the sound of the little boy's voice that seemed awfully close to me. He was holding on tight to his mother's hand as they came out of Chuck E. Cheese's. He began to stagger and sway a bit as he walked into the parking lot with his mom, walking right by my car. He stopped for a minute, letting go of his mom's hand, turned around, and then threw up all over…

My fucking car!

"Oh shit!" I practically screamed, jumping out of the way of his pink vomit, which landed all over my front tire and part of the hood.

His mom grabbed the little devil and began to pull him away as he continued to blow chunks of…God only knew what. Looked like fucking pepperoni. "I am so sorry, sir…" his mother said frantically.

"Just get your damn kid away from my car!" I snapped angrily.

She looked at me with fear in her eyes and then down to her son. "Come on, sweetie. You're okay," she cooed, dragging the little gremlin.

After the kid stopped heaving like the damn demon child from The Exorcist, he began to cry, wailing something about wanting to go back on the merry go round as they walked away.

I groaned and looked at the mess. _Fucking kids. _Couldn't they fucking keep any goddamn thing down? And this was why I'd never fucking have them. They were evil little creatures that threw up on expensive fucking cars.

I spun around, unsure of what to do. That shit would probably dry on there soon. I didn't have any towels or anything to clean it up, and even if I did, I wouldn't fucking go near the crap. I looked down towards the end of the plaza, noticing a carwash right next door. It was one of those ones where you gave your car over and they cleaned it for you. I hated that shit. They were never careful with my car, which was why I'd always used a special company that hand washed exotic cars for extra money. It was fucking worth it, too. I knew I didn't have much time to call the company, so I'd have to forfeit and let those fuckers clean up the vomit. If they fucking scratched it, though, I was suing their asses.

I ran around to the driver's side and swung open the door. I hopped in quickly and stuck my keys in the ignition. The car came to life, purring happily for me, even though it had kid puke on it. Before pulling out of the space, my eyes wandered to the bank again. Fuck! Bella. I couldn't just fucking leave her here. She'd come out, see my car gone, and get confused. In the meantime, Rose would come over and Bella would go off with her. She was still in the bank, though. Perhaps the line was long or something. I could go over to the carwash quickly, drop the car off, and then walk back over and take it from there.

With my mind made up, I drove my car over to the carwash and handed my Vanquish and keys over. I even threatened them so they knew not to fucking mess with my car. "If I fucking find one little knick on my Vanquish, I'll fucking hunt you down and buff my car with your fucking face," I told a young guy who worked there. He nodded his head frantically and shakily took my car keys, hesitating to sit in my car to move it.

I crossed back over to the plaza, looking briefly in the window of a boutique. There was a simple silver heart pendant necklace on display. It was sort of nice. It instantly reminded me of Bella, and I wondered if she liked jewelry. I never saw her wearing any…so I didn't know. I found that I wanted to, though. There were a lot of things I wanted to know about her that I had yet to find out.

I knew then that I was a fucking asshole for being so mean to her. She hadn't deserved it. I didn't blame her for wanting to ditch my ass. I was a miserable fuck. But, I just couldn't understand why this all mattered so much to me. I didn't want it to matter, and yet it did. I had to get her to stay with me, even if it was just until lunch. I needed that time with her to…well, to be completely honest with her for once.

I turned to walk back when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw two little blonde girls in pink dresses kicking the shit out of a big rat. It was the funniest fucking thing I'd ever seen, and I was glad at least someone could take their aggressions out on something. Did kids even have aggressions? They were probably pissed they didn't get ice cream or some shit. Either way, who wouldn't want to fucking watch a big ass rat getting the shit kicked out of them.

"Okay, you kids, stop fucking kicking me," the guy in the rat costume said flatly, his voice muffled from his head being inside the giant rat head with a baseball cap on top. He had a pack of cigarettes in his hand and was attempting to take off his rat head with no success.

One of the little girls gasped. "You said a very naughty word! My mommy said that to my daddy once when I was supposed to be asleep. I went out my room and saw them wrestling!" She immediately went back to joining the other girl, kicking the rat's legs.

The guy in the costume seemed mostly unfazed. "Cute, kid. Now scram before I say other naughty words," he spoke dryly.

A woman ran by me and over to the girls. "Girls! Stop kicking Chuck E. Cheese," she yelled, and grabbed the girls' hands to pull them away. "I'm so sorry. They were in my sight a moment ago."

"Yeah, yeah. I'm on my break, so can you take your kids away, please?" the rat asked, smacking the end of the pack of cigarettes against his furry paw.

"Mommy! I fucking want pizzaaaaa!" one of the girls exclaimed excitedly.

"Stacy!" the mother gasped, horrified, and dragged the girls away roughly.

I watched the rat for a second, inwardly feeling sorry for the poor guy in that costume that had to deal with snotty nosed kids all the time. And the fact that his rat costume was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and shorts, plus giant tennis shoes to top it off. God, who the fuck thought of this genius outfit? Anyway, it had to be hot. I hoped they had a fan in there or some shit.

As I began to turn around, the rat's voice suddenly rang out.

"Hey, fuckhead!"

I raised an eyebrow and faced the rat. He was staring directly at me…from what I could tell from his rat eyes. I briefly glanced around, wondering if there was anyone else he could be talking to, but there was no one in the vicinity.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you, Cullen," he seethed.

How the fuck did he know my last name? "Who the hell are you?" I asked in a raised voice.

"Why don't you come over here and find out," he called.

I cautiously walked over to him around the side of the plaza. He crossed his furry arms over his chest and didn't budge until I was standing in front of him. I tried to see who was in the costume, but there was nowhere on the head that could allow me access to see his face properly.

"I thought I saw your faggot ass car pull up," he spat, and I knew instantly who the owner was of that annoying, bitter, squeaky voice. Skinny-emo-boy, or should I say, skinny-emo-_rat_. God, seriously, how many jobs did this kid have? How did he have the time with school and shit? Didn't he live far away? How the hell did he work here with the commute? Oh fuck, hopefully he didn't fucking have a twin. I doubted God would want to punish me _that_ bad.

"Seth," I acknowledged flatly. "The rat costume suits you, surprisingly. I actually almost didn't realize it was a costume."

His dry laugh was muffled by the rat head. "Well, Cullen, you move on quickly. That slut in your car was smoking hot, I have to say. I see you listened to my threat when I told you to stay away from Bella. I didn't want to have to kill you in your sleep, mainly because I didn't feel like going to juvie."

My blood began to simmer at his mention of Bella being a slut. "That was Bella in the car, dumbass. And next time you refer to her as a slut, I'll shove your rat head so far up your fucking ass you'll be shitting fur for days." I took a breath, but it didn't assuage my rage. "And I'm not going anywhere, Seth." At least not willingly.

He stood still for a moment before pointing his big, fat, furry finger at me. "I thought I told you to stay away from her!" he yelled.

"And I told you I don't fucking listen to punk ass kids like you."

He suddenly threw his pack of cigarettes on the ground, placed his paws on my shoulders, and shoved me hard. I stumbled back a few steps, caught off guard. "Big _fucking_ mistake, Cullen," he growled.

I knew this kid had a crush of some sort on Bella, but this was ridiculous. I wanted to fucking beat his ass, and if he was much older, I wouldn't have hesitated. So, the only thing I knew that would shut him up was using words. "Bella and I are dating, Seth. Get the fuck over it."

He took another step closer, and I heard his breathing become ragged. He shoved me again, harder. "You fucking wish you were dating. You have no fucking clue, do you?"

I gave him an incredulous look. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means Bella doesn't really like you, asswipe!" he yelled, and pushed me again, my back colliding with the brick wall behind. I was on my last rope, about ready to snap. I could feel the crazed fury well up inside me, heating my entire body, making my hands tingle.

"If you don't stop touching me, I will break your fucking limbs," I warned in a low voice. "And, just for the record, kid, she's fucking all over me. Just today I had my hands all over her tits." The corners of my mouth turned up in a devilish smile. "And she loved every minute of it."

I heard a strained wheeze emit from him, and suddenly, a gray, furry paw was hurdling through the air toward my face at the speed of light. Just as I saw it, I dodged the assault, moving my head to the side. His paw narrowly missed me and cracked into the red brick behind.

He grunted in pain and grabbed his paw, trying to soothe it. "Fuck! You fucking—" He cut himself off by moaning in agony.

I took a few steps back, trying to put some distance between us. Without warning, he lunged at me, diving off the ground and attacking me to the floor.

"Get the fuck off me!" I rumbled, his weight burrowing down on me. He was a heavy fucker, especially in the suit. His arm drew back and he punched me in the ribs. I let out a garbled choking sound to go with the blow.

He straddled my waist as I tried to shove him off me. "Bella is _my_ girl," he shouted, and slammed his fist into my nose. I instantly brought my hands up to my face to shoulder the numbing pain that shot through my nose. "And she spends two fucking nights a week with _me_."

In the distance I could hear a little girl say, "Mommy! They look like when you and daddy wrestle!"

"Stacy!" a woman exclaimed.

I threw Seth off me in a flash and pinned him down by straddling his waist. He squirmed and tried to wriggle free from beneath me. "You're full of shit," I snarled, holding his arms to his sides as he struggled to break free. "She doesn't like you. Get a real goddamn girlfriend your own fucking age. Even a fucking blow up doll would be more willing to let you fuck her than Bella would."

He let out an animalistic growl. "Oh yeah? Well, then, why did she agree to go out on a date with me?"

I shrinked back a bit, still holding him down. Bella was going out with this little douche…on a date? But he was like…twelve fucking years old! No, she wouldn't do that, she was dating me. "You're lying," I said, my tone low and venomous.

He finally stopped moving against me, breathing heavily. I was too strong for him. "Why the fuck would I lie? She's going out with me…_get the fuck over it_," he said viciously, throwing my words back at me.

My nostrils flared and something within me exploded. I suddenly had the strong urge to beat the shit out of something, anything. It turned out, I didn't know a fucking thing about Bella. It seemed she always had something to hide, and she was always fucking running away from me. Like today, she was going to fucking abandon me…at a _bank_! Why the fuck was she putting me through all this shit?

I began to stand up, my feet on either side of Seth's body, and without warning, I punched him square in the stomach, my hand colliding with thick, cushy patting.

"What the hell are you doing?" Seth growled, laying there. "You're an idiot, I can't even fucking feel that with all this shit I have on."

"Good," I growled. "Just fucking lay there, then." I began to punch him over and over again, needing a release, an outlet to my rage. I could feel my face growing hot and my veins bursting out of my neck.

"Oh my God! Stop!" someone said in the distance, but it was muffled by my own grunting as my fist connected repeatedly with Seth's body. "Edward! Stop!"

That voice...

I stopped immediately and turned my head. Bella was running over to me, panic lining her expression. I stood up straight. A warmth radiated through me at the sight of her. I couldn't explain it. I was pissed at her before…but now…all I wanted to do was have her jump into my arms to put me at ease.

"What on earth?" Bella questioned, looking down at Seth, lying there like a helpless idiot. "Sir, are you okay?"

"Bella," Seth choked, trying to get up, but having a hard time with the heavy suit.

Bella gasped, bending down to help him. "Seth?" she asked, horrified. "Sweetie, is that you? Are you okay?" I stood back, wordlessly, as she grabbed his arm and helped him up.

"_No_, Cullen tried to kill me," he whined. His malicious tone from before had now been replaced with an innocent one.

Bella's head whipped to me, anger coursing through her eyes. They were wet for some reason. Had she been crying? "What the hell were you thinking?" she spat.

"Me?" I questioned in disbelief. "He was the one who—"

"He's a fucking kid, Edward," Bella interrupted, looking at me as if I had two heads. "He's sixteen years old! How could you beat up a child?"

My jaw dropped at the absurdity. "Bella, he started it!"

"No, I didn't, Bella!" Seth squeaked, standing behind her as if to get away from me. "All I was doing was standing out here and then he attacked me!"

"You shut your fucking mouth, kid! You're a fucking liar!" I growled at him, and he shrunk back even further behind Bella. God, if that damn rat head was off, I'd really clobber him good.

"Enough!" Bella exclaimed tiredly. She looked exhausted, and I wanted to bring her to me, cradle her head against my chest.

A red Lexus suddenly pulled up next to us. The driver's door opened, revealing Rose, and she stepped out. She looked at Bella, confused, and then at me. It was clear she was trying to incinerate me with her glare.

"Bella, I'm not even going to ask," Rose spoke, shaking her head. "Are you okay, though?"

Bella glanced at me briefly and then back at Rose. "Yeah, sure," she answered flatly.

Rose began to walk over, but stopped, and bent down to the ground, picking something up. "These yours?" she asked me, her voice controlled.

I looked at her hand, noticing she was holding a pack of cigarettes. "No, I don't smoke," I said quietly, and looked at Bella, who was refusing to look at me.

Seth suddenly cleared his throat. Bella let out a loud sigh and grabbed the cigarettes from Rose. "Are you kidding me, Seth?" Bella asked, holding the pack up to Seth's large snout. "Go change out of this damn costume and meet me back out here. I'm going to tell your mother all about your little smoking habits."

"But, Bella—" Seth began to whine.

"Go!" Bella snapped.

He groaned and then stomped off, making his way back around to the front of the shopping plaza.

"I'm going to wait in the car…" Rose said, glowering one last time at me before retreating to her Lexus.

I looked back at Bella, who was just standing there, not even meeting my eyes. I wanted to reach out and turn her face to look at me, but I restrained myself.

"Bella, you have to believe me. I didn't start that," I said.

She sighed and turned to me, our eyes finally connecting. She wasn't hiding the fact that she looked exhausted. Did she not get enough sleep? "Look," she started, "I know Seth isn't exactly innocent; I'm not entirely blind to that. But, you shouldn't have provoked him."

"No, but I didn't. He was saying stuff about you meeting up with him twice a week and—"

She cut me off by raising a hand. "I don't care what he said. You shouldn't have done that. He's a part of my family. He's like a little brother to me."

"I wasn't trying to hurt him, though. I was…" I exhaled, not really knowing if I should tell her why I was punching Seth. It hadn't been just to shut him up.

"You were what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

I scratched the back of my neck and looked away. "I was just pissed. Emmett told me you wanted to leave me here and I—"

"Wait, he told you that?" Bella interrupted. I nodded. She rolled her eyes and looked at Rose's car. "Brothers…" She turned back to me and took a few steps closer. "You were acting so strange before…I didn't know what was wrong. And then, I came out and your car was gone…"

"Bella, some kid puked on my car," I explained with a small laugh. "I took it over to the carwash next door."

She snorted, a small, shy smile creeping across her face, and reached out a hand towards me, playing with my shirt. "So, you didn't actually ditch me?"

I chuckled and grabbed her shoulder, bringing her to me. "Come here," I demanded softly, enveloping her in my arms. She leaned her head against my chest, and I took the opportunity to nuzzle my face into her hair and breathe her in. "Trust me; I wouldn't leave you." My heart swelled at my own words. There was nothing I wanted more than to be with Bella right now. How could she have thought I would just abandon her like that?

She rubbed her face into my chest and sighed heavily. We remained wrapped in each other's arms silently for a few more moments, until Seth came back, suit free, and groaned as he stopped in front of us.

"Alright, let's go," he ordered grumpily.

Bella pulled back a bit and looked up at me with her expressive brown eyes. "I better take him home."

"Okay, my car should be done soon, so we can go after-," I began to say before she cut me off.

"Uh, no," she said, a line forming in her forehead. "Rose is here, so we'll just go with her."

"Oh," I spoke quietly, trying not to show I was hurt. "Okay."

"But, can we talk later?" she asked.

I nodded nervously, knowing that that would most likely entail what I originally planned on telling her before. "Yeah," I whispered, and rubbed her cheek with the back of my hand, watching as they flushed with color. "I'll call you later." I kissed her forehead, my lips lingering for a while.

"Can we fucking go?" Seth growled.

Bella smiled up at me and then broke our embrace. My arms immediately felt barren and lonely. She grabbed Seth's wrist roughly and hauled him over to Rose's car. After they got in, I stood and watched as they disappeared out of the parking lot, my heart feeling alive, but my stomach unsettled.

X-X-X-X

The rest of my day had dragged on rather uneventfully. Emmett was at the club all afternoon, so I didn't have to see his ass. He called a few times, but each time the phone rang, I'd whip my cell out of my pocket thinking it was Bella, then groan when I'd see his stupid name and silence it.

I'd told Bella I'd call her, and I did about an hour after I'd been with her at the shopping plaza, but it went straight to voicemail. I didn't leave her a message, figuring she'd see my name on the caller ID, anyway. But, when another hour passed and I still hadn't heard from her, I began to worry. I sent her a text message asking if she was okay, and ten minutes later she replied back saying she was busy and she'd call me in twenty minutes. Well, twenty minutes had passed and she still hadn't called. What the hell could she have been doing that took up so much of her time that she couldn't even speak to me? I mean, it wasn't like I was calling just to fuck around and say hello, I had important stuff to say.

You'd think I would be relieved to get a bit more time of her staying in the dark about my extracurricular activities, but that wasn't the case at all. I just wanted to be out with it. I decided I would tell her about Tanya, Irina, and Kate, keeping out specifics, of course, and then admit that I hadn't so much as called them since her and I started dating. That was the truth, too! Sort of…Either way, I hoped she wouldn't leave me as a result. Yet, I couldn't deny that my fear that she would be disgusted over my actions was weighing me down. I felt sick to my stomach thinking about what my days would be like without Bella there, confusing the hell out of me.

God…she was something else, I swear. The woman I met at Touch&Go was definitely not who I thought she was. She was so much more than just a broken heart. And at times, it seemed as if she was perfectly okay. I wanted to think that that had to do with me…well, I was hoping…but I had to give her credit for being stronger than I'd originally thought. Did I like that? I think I did. It was different to be with a woman who was more sure of herself, someone who I had to constantly keep up with. My only problem was that my natural instinct was to be in control, and with Bella, that was far from ever happening. She always seemed to have the upper hand somehow…

_Ugh…pussy. _

_Fuck you._

My phone suddenly rang, and I couldn't have busted it out of my pocket fast enough. I swear to fucking God, if it was Emmett again, I'd burn his entire porn collection. Yeah, that bastard had a shit load of that stuff. His most treasured DVDs were his celebrity sex tapes. I didn't know how many fucking times I had to listen to Kim Kardashian chant "baby" over and over again while some washed up R&B singer's brother stuck his hairy dick in her.

When I saw it was, in fact, Bella, I practically slammed my thumb down on the talk button. "Hello?" I answered anxiously, my heart about ready to fly out of my chest. _God, calm down, motherfucker._

"Hey," Bella spoke in a hushed tone. I could hear distant voices in the background and wondered who was there with her. "Sorry, I didn't call sooner. I've been—"

"Busy," I finished. "Yeah, you said that." I had to admit I was a bit bummed, but _shit_ was it good to hear her voice.

She cleared her throat. "Can you just hold on a moment?"

I quirked an eyebrow. "Sure…" I trailed off.

I heard the loud squeaking of a door and then a bed creaking. The phone rustled a bit before she returned. "Alright, back."

"Where are you?" I questioned curiously.

"I'm at my parent's house in Forks," she answered quietly. "I took Seth home and then came over to my mom and dad's."

"So, then, when are you coming home?" After I said the words, I was stunned by what I said. _Home_. But I couldn't help imagining her coming home to me, alone. The feelings it evoked were new to me. Why did the thought of that feel so damn good?

"Uh…I'm not," she said. I frowned instantly. "I mean, I'm not going back to my apartment tonight, that is."

If possible, I frowned even more. "Oh…"

"I know you said you wanted to talk and stuff, but can it wait? I don't have too much battery left and I don't want to be cut off right in the middle," she explained.

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's okay," I said, though it wasn't.

"Alright." She paused for a moment. "Oh, and I should probably apologize to you about Seth. He…uh…He told me some of the stuff he said to you earlier. I think he's just really protective of me sometimes."

I snorted quietly. That was so not it at all. "Yeah," I agreed simply, not wanting to get into it. "I guess I should say sorry, too. I didn't mean to take my aggressions out on him…it just sort of happened." God, was I actually apologizing for hitting Seth? Shit, that kid had it coming for a long time. But, this was Bella, and I didn't want her to be upset with me.

"Thank you," she spoke softly. "Next time you're feeling like that…just promise me you'll be honest with me."

"I will," I said honestly.

"No secrets, remember?"

I smiled. "Yeah, I remember," I said. "Not to mention that kiss…" Thinking about her lips on mine was torture, knowing she wasn't here to quell the urge. Then, I was reminded of our earlier activities…her ass and tits in my hands…_Fuck._ And then my dick woke up.

"Oh, yeah, I could never forget that," she admitted seductively, breathing into the phone.

"God, Bella," I uttered, attempting to adjust myself before it got way too uncomfortable. "You sure you can't come here right this second?" I wasn't even joking. If she didn't get her ass over here, I'd hunt her down.

"I'm not sure I can come _there_, but I could definitely come _here_," she purred.

It was official. She was trying to kill me. "Holy shit," I panted, my mouth hanging open. But, when I heard her trying to stifle a giggle, I groaned. "Yeah, yeah. You think that's funny, don't you?"

"A little," she said, laughing.

"If you aren't careful, I'll be forced to go over there and—" I began to tease, but was interrupted by her sudden intake of breath. I could hear the phone rustling around and then muffled voices in the background. "Bella?" I could definitely hear her voice, but I could also hear a man's, as well. Who the fuck was there with her?

"Um, Edward," Bella said, her voice clear now.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, my voice raised a little.

"I think I better go. I—Shit…" she trailed off, and the phone went back to rustling. This time, though, I could hear her voice marginally well.

"What are you doing?" a guy asked.

"Nothing. What is it?" Bella questioned nervously.

"Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight? The couch sucks, and it's not like we haven't done it before…"

My eyes went wide with anger and I stopped breathing all together. My grip tightened around the phone harshly.

Bella laughed. "Yeah, no problem, Jazz," she agreed.

Oh that was fucking it. Fucking Jasper? What the fuck was he doing there? I'd had it with that fucking blonde fucker trying to steal my girl away, and now he was fucking there, trying to slither his way in bed with her?

Fuck. No.

And the real kicker was that she fucking agreed to it as if it were the most natural fucking thing in the world!

Where the fuck was the rat when I needed him?

"Shit...Edward? Sorry about that," Bella said frantically, returning to the phone. "I dropped my phone and—"

"Don't fucking lie to me, Bella," I growled.

"Excuse me?" she questioned meekly.

"I fucking heard him," I practically shouted. "I heard him there with you."

"Who?" she asked in a raised tone to match mine, but I could tell she was nervous. Because she'd been fucking busted and she knew it. I couldn't believe this shit.

"Jasper, that's who. God fucking damnit, Bella. Do you two do this often? Are you and him like, fuck buddies or something?" I questioned without thinking.

She didn't speak for a few seconds, but I could hear her breathing grow uneven. "Are you fucking kidding me?" she asked venomously. "Where the fuck do you get off asking me something like that?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" I yelled. "Have you forgotten that we're dating? Has that fucking slipped your mind? Oh, wait…is this another one of your fucking _secrets_?"

"What kind of backwards fucking universe are you living in?" she questioned heatedly. "We've only been dating barely a week! You don't fucking own me, asshole. I own myself."

My nostrils flared. "So, is this sweet Bella or bitch Bella?" I heard her gasp. "Because most of the time it seems like you're always two goddamn people. And you're right, I don't own you. Maybe I don't want to. Wanna know why? You're a fucking tease, that's why. You make me think you want me, and then you fucking run off. Most of the time with that cocksucker Jasper!" All my confusion and infuriation with this woman seemed to easily spill out of my mouth, and I didn't bother to even suppress it. It all needed to be said.

"Hey!" she barked. "Don't you dare call him that. You don't know him at all."

Shit…I was losing her. I knew this was going to happen, and not even for the reasons I'd originally thought. This was much worse. Why did she have to fucking ruin things just when I thought they would be okay? Standing outside that plaza with her in my arms felt so right earlier, and I really felt like maybe we still had a chance, but now, that was all out the window again.

"Damn fucking right I don't," I spoke in a low tone. "But, I hope you have a great time fucking him." Even though I was pissed, I said this more as a test. I wanted to hear her reaction to my accusation. At the bottom of it all, I didn't actually think she'd screw him, but I knew he would try to make a move on her. What fucking normal guy would just ask a woman to sleep in the same bed with them with no intention of touching them? Jasper had ulterior motives, that was for sure. Didn't he fucking get enough from the woman he fucking cheated on Bella with? Now, he wanted to fucking use my girl for his own needs? Shit. The thought of another man's hands on her was…_FUCK._

She chuckled darkly, the sound unsettling in my ear. She didn't sound like Bella at all. "Oh, I fucking will, honey. You can count on that."

My heart plummeted and my throat constricted. "Bella…" I whispered, feeling as if she'd slapped me across the face.

"Don't fucking call me again. Ever," she snapped, and hung up.

When I heard the dial tone, I let the phone slip through my fingers. It fell to the floor with a loud thud. I was fucking devastated. What the fuck had just happened? Had she just admitted that she was going to sleep with Jasper? The guy who had ripped her heart and shredded it into a million pieces? How could she do that? More importantly, how could she do that to me? We were…

What the fuck were we? She was right. We'd only been dating less than a week. But still…she'd acted as if she'd liked me. How could she be with me and then with that asshole, who was probably just going to use her again and then kick her to the curb?

I felt hurt, destroyed, but also, completely and utterly infuriated. She'd fucking lied to me. She spat bullshit like "no secrets" and then there she was, screwing someone else. I hadn't even so much as looked at anyone since her, and yet, she didn't fucking care. She was a fucking heartless bitch. Maybe I didn't want to be with someone like her anymore. Fuck that. She wanted to sleep with another guy? Fine. She could be my fucking guest.

What she didn't know was that I was Edward Cullen and I could have any fucking piece of ass I wanted.

I'd fucking show her…

* * *

**A/N: **

**Oh boy. Do I hear the distant sound of spears sharpening? **

**So, I know a lot of you are waiting for some sort of reveal between Edward and Bella about her past and stuff. Please hang in there! This story will not be the never ending games that Bella plays on Edward…trust me. Edward WILL find out. But, I will say that I'm not very predictable, and whatever theories you have on how Edward will find out, might not come to play that way, unless you can read my mind…*darts eyes around***

**Oh, and congrats to those that got who was in the rat costume. I'm glad to see so many people in tune with the story. **

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**It's the last week to vote for Hate Me in the Twilight All Human Awards; category: "fan fiction that had you crying with laughter," so if you haven't yet, please go there and vote!**

_**twilightallhumanawards . webs . com/voting . htm**_


	17. Rue

**A/N:**

**I had to change one little thing in the last chapter. Edward does NOT know Bella or Seth live in Forks. So, the part where Edward wonders how Seth works in all these different places…had to change that a bit. But the part where Bella says she's in Forks at her parent's house, that really was intentional, which will be addressed in this chapter. **

**I did an interview with the Twific Hall of Fame blog recently. It's mainly in relation to one of my other stories, but I do talk about myself as an author and about my writing. If you would like to ****read, please go here and remove spaces: **  
_**http : / twifichof . wordpress . com/**_

**Thanks to my beta Lindz26. I'm afraid I've caused her to have to buy a wig with this chapter cause all the hair pulling she did.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Bella and Edward have a heated argument over the phone. Bella ends things and Edward decides he doesn't need her.

* * *

**

**~*RUE*~  
*BELLA***

"Get in the car," I scolded quietly, letting go of Seth's wrist and grabbing his arm as I shoved him into the backseat of Rose's car.

"Ow," he squeaked, and situated himself in the back.

I walked around the side, glancing one more time at Edward before getting into the passenger seat. He was just standing there as I got in, his light green eyes fixed on me with an odd expression masking his face.

"Okay," Rose said, annoyed. "Are we ready to get the hell out of here?"

"Yes," Seth and I both said in unison, only his tone was more vicious.

We pulled out of the plaza and onto the main road. In the side mirror, I could see Edward walking towards the carwash. I guess he really had taken his car there.

"Rose, you remember Seth," I said, buckling my seatbelt.

She looked in her rearview mirror to get a look at Seth. "Oh, yeah, the little boy who wrote you a three page love letter last year," she quipped with a laugh.

"I'm not a boy, I'm a man," Seth announced cockily.

"Yeah, okay," Rose said, smiling sheepishly. "Don't worry; most of the letter wasn't even legible. It looked like chicken scratch." Seth groaned and turned to look out the window. Rose looked at me briefly, trying to keep her eyes on the road, and noticed I was quiet. "So, I thought he left you there."

I shrugged, and sighed. "I guess it was a misunderstanding," I said. "And your boyfriend is Mr. Yappy, isn't he?" My tone shifted, clearly showing my annoyance.

"What do you mean?" she questioned.

"Emmett told Edward that I'd called you to come pick me up," I replied sourly. Rose groaned, but didn't reply. It hadn't really been Rose's fault. When I talked to him on the phone, I told him to tell Rose to pick me up, so it wasn't like she told him, but it still annoyed me. This only confirmed that I had to be careful what I said to Emmett, since brothers came first, but would I have to be careful around Rose now, too?

"Are we going to Leah's apartment?" Seth asked suddenly.

I tossed his pack of cigarettes to him in the back. "Nope. As soon as we get back to my place, I'm taking you to your parents and you can show them the little knick knack you bought."

From what I knew, Seth started living with his older sister, Leah, at her apartment in Seattle during the week. He transferred to one of the schools here and picked up some part time jobs so he could help Leah out with the rent. I hadn't found this out until I had dinner with our families the other night. I thought it was sort of sweet that he was choosing to live with his sister, but then I found out the real reason he lived here now, which was that he had gotten expelled from his school in Forks for releasing a myriad of chickens inside the building with some of his friends. The principal, apparently, wasn't happy about this since the chickens crapped on every single surface they possibly could, including his office. After that, Seth's parents forced him to move in with Leah and work to help her pay part of the rent. It was upsetting to find out because the little Seth I once babysat was now this teenage terror.

Seth let out a dry laugh. "I think you forget who holds the cards here, Bella. Or should I remind you of our little deal?"

I gritted my teeth and quickly undid my seatbelt to reach over in the back and grab him by the shirt. I brought his face close to mine. "You little shit, I'll throw you out of this car right now." He smiled abruptly and pecked me quickly on the lips. I let him go harshly and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. "Seth! What the hell?"

Rose broke out into a fit of laughter. "I gotta admit. This one has gusto."

"I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you, Bella?" Seth asked, waggling his eyebrows. I turned around in a huff. "At least it made you stop talking. Guess I'm just a pro at kissing"

"You kiss like my grandma," I said dryly.

"Come on! You used to kiss me all the time," he countered.

"You were four!" I exclaimed.

"So, are you admitting that I'm now in your league?" he asked cockily.

For some reason, Rose found this hilarious and continued to piss herself with laughter. If she wasn't careful, I'd throw her out of the car, too.

I decided to change the subject. "What the hell were you doing starting shit with Edward?" I asked him.

"He started it," he muttered.

"Now, why don't I believe you?"

He furrowed his brow. "So, you think _he _didn't start it?"

To be honest, I didn't think Edward had, but I was pretty sure that he taunted Seth a bit, which would've given Seth more incentive to start a physical fight. And, of course, Edward, being who he was, would've had to finish it.

"No, I don't," I answered simply.

"Oh, great, Bella," he said sarcastically. "Believe the douchebag over_ family_."

I rolled my eyes and ignored him. "How did you even know he was there?"

"I was on my break and I saw him get out of his car." He shifted his eyes a bit, looking nervous. "I saw you, too."

I quirked an eyebrow. "And what did you say to him?"

"What makes you think I said anything to that asshole?"

I gave him a stern look. "Because you have a smart mouth, that's why."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I may have told him that we're going on a date Friday."

My mouth fell open. "You what?" I questioned incredulously, and he smirked triumphantly. This was awful. Now, Edward would get the wrong idea. But, he should know that Seth was just a kid and that I had no romantic interest in him, right? "Seth, let me make one thing clear. When we go out Friday, it will not be a date."

He smiled coyly. "I'm pretty sure it will be. Man…Woman…out at dinner. Yeah, it'll be a date."

I shook my head. "You're a boy."

His nostrils flared. "I'm a man!"

I groaned and turned to look out the window. I was not looking forward to the four hour drive with him to Forks. Hopefully, I could just dump his ass there and then go home. All I wanted to do was get into bed and possibly call Edward. Since he'd told me that he thought I was going to leave him at the bank, I'd felt bad. He'd looked so devastated when he told me he thought I left. Was Alice right when she said she thought he was starting to like me? To me, it seemed so. The thing was, it made me happy to know that, and not because of the fact that he was falling into my plan, but for some other inexplicable reason that I couldn't place. All I knew was I wanted to hear his voice as soon as I got home tonight.

"Why are you smiling?" Rose asked, taking me out of my thoughts.

I cleared my throat and adjusted the way I was sitting. "No reason." But, I was beginning to realize that there was. Edward was the reason.

X-X-X-X

The ride to Forks was longer than usual. It began to rain on the way over and the roads were slippery, which meant people were driving like snails. The whole way over, I had to endure Seth's heavy metal music that made me want to join a nunnery. He had it so loud, and then on top of that, he would try to talk. Didn't teenagers know what a volume button was? Clearly not.

When I dropped the brat off, his parents tried to coerce me into staying for an early dinner, and it was still raining outside heavily, so I agreed. I ended up not telling them about Seth's smoking, mainly because I knew Seth was right that he held the cards. I hated it, but I had to be careful with him. A few hours later, the rain still hadn't stopped, so I decided to go see my parents who lived close by. They would've had a shit fit, anyway, if they knew I was in town and hadn't stopped over to see them. My mom was relatively happy to see me. She still seemed to hold a grudge for me not seeing them that often. She also was annoyed that I hadn't told her in advance I was coming so that she could've made some sort of pumpkin gooey cake that she picked up from Paula's Home Cooking on the Food Network…whoever that was. Anything that had "gooey" in it didn't sound appetizing to me, though. So, perhaps I was grateful that I hadn't called.

"Just got a call from one of my officers," my dad announced, coming into the kitchen where my mom and I were sitting. "There's a five car pileup on the 101 highway leading out of here. It's probably not best for you to go back to Seattle tonight, Bella. The roads have no traction right now."

I frowned. The last thing I wanted to do was stay here. I just wanted to go home and call Edward. He'd all ready called, but I hadn't realized I'd switched my phone off during the drive up. When we'd stopped for gas, I turned my phone on and saw his missed call plus a text message from him asking if I was okay. I'd smiled to myself and told him I'd call him back in twenty minutes. But, when the rain had picked up, I knew I couldn't talk on the phone and drive. I could barely see out of the windshield as it was. And when I went to my parent's house, I _definitely_ couldn't call him back. Not if I wanted my parent's to kill me.

My phone suddenly rang in my pocket, the loud ringtone blaring through the quiet kitchen, and I went rigid. My mom and dad looked at me inquisitively, but I sat frozen with my eyes wide. What if it was Edward calling? I really wanted to talk to him, but I couldn't answer in front of my parents.

"Are you gonna answer?" my dad asked.

I pushed my chair back and stood. "Um, I think I'll go into the living room and take this," I said nervously.

They both eyed me suspiciously, but nodded. I walked out, taking my phone out of my pocket. My heartbeat began to speed up at the thought of talking to Edward, but then I saw the screen, and groaned.

"Jazz," I greeted flatly.

"Hey, sunshine," he greeted back with a laugh. "What are you up to?"

"I'm in Forks. Had to drop off Seth," I replied.

"I'm here, too, actually," he admitted.

"You are?" I asked. "Why?"

"My parents went out of town and wanted me to be there to sign for all the gym equipment they ordered," he explained dryly. "So, I'm here. Are you at Seth's house right now? Maybe I'll swing by."

"No, I'm at home, so stop by here instead." At least Jazz could keep me company while I had to endure the awkward silences with my parents.

"No problem. There's some sort of accident on the highway, but I'll see if I can get around it."

We talked for a little bit longer and then hung up. It would be weird with him coming over. My mom and dad hadn't seen Jasper for several months, and they loved him to death. On many occasions, though, my mom would sneakily try to get Jasper and me to date. I wasn't sure why, but she'd declared since high school that we were "so good for each other." I kept telling her it wasn't going to happen, but she always refused to listen.

Ten minutes later, Jasper showed up, drenched from the rain. My mom was excited to see him and she kept saying how handsome he looked and then asking me if I thought so, too. Jasper knew her shtick, so he merely caught my eye and winked as a joke. My mom saw it and then proclaimed that Jasper was to spend the night, using the rain as an excuse.

"Really, Mrs. Swan, I can just go back to my parents house—" Jasper began to say before being cut off by my mom.

"Oh, nonsense," she chided. "You know you can call me Renee, and the roads are too slippery to drive all that way."

"It's only a ten minute drive," he noted.

My mother's casual face suddenly became serious and her nostrils flared. "You'll stay here, Jasper, and that's final," she ordered, and I swore she growled.

Holy shit. Demon Mom had arrived.

Jasper actually looked scared, because he began to nod frantically.

My mother smiled abruptly, her white teeth glistening. "Good!" she exclaimed, and walked off into the kitchen.

"Goodness, she's scary sometimes," Jasper whispered.

We followed after her into the kitchen, and my dad stood to shake Jasper's hand. "Well, this is a surprise," he said with a smile.

"Jasper is spending the night," Mom remarked, giving my dad some sort of weird eyebrow waggling expression. I suddenly had mental images of her doing that in bed with him, and I began to feel like I would've felt if I'd tried pumpkin gooey cake.

Dad smiled. "Well, the couch has your name written all over it, Jasper."

Jasper wrinkled his nose and looked at me. I tried to suppress a laugh, but I knew exactly why he was making that face. Whenever Jasper's parents would go out of town when he was younger, which was frequently, he would stay with us. The couch was always where he had to sleep, but the problem was that the living room was near my parent's room, and let's just say that they weren't exactly quiet. I was definitely glad that my room was on the second floor. After the first time he heard them, he would sneak into my room and we'd end up making a fort to sleep in with two chairs and my blanket laid out over them. He'd usually sneak back downstairs in early mornings before Dad would wake up so he wouldn't think Jasper was trying to steal my innocence.

After twenty minutes of my parents interrogating Jasper about what he had been up to, I was starting to become antsy. I'd eye the time on my phone and see the night trudge on, getting later and later. I was afraid Edward would think I ignored his call on purpose to avoid him, which was far from the truth. My parents were still blubbering away, so I excused myself, saying that I was going to get ready for bed, even though it was still fairly early. What the hell else was I supposed to do, especially in Forks? But, really, I used this as an excuse to call Edward in my room. I felt like I was committing a sin. Everyone downstairs disliked Edward, for whatever reason, and I knew it. If they found out I was sneaking away to talk to him, my head would be on a silver platter, but hopefully not my mom's silver platter because she never polished it. It was all brown and stuff.

I made sure to lock the door and then climbed onto my bed, my phone clutched tightly in my hand. I hadn't bothered to turn on the light, so my room was shrouded in darkness, except for the occasional flash of lightning.

The blue light on my phone partially illuminated the room as I searched through my contacts for Edward. I should've really just put him on my speed dial; it would've been a whole lot easier. If I moved Alice, Jasper, and Rose all up a number, then I could have him on number two, since number one was always my voicemail. I made a mental note to do that later.

I pressed his named and then bit the inside of my cheeks as I waited for him to answer, which didn't take very long. Actually, it only took half a ring. He must've had quick fingers or something. Odd.

When he answered, I almost sighed in relief. It was nice to hear his voice. I'd felt like I hadn't talked to him in ages, even though it had only been a few hours.

"Hey," I greeted in a whisper. I could hear Jasper and my parents downstairs, but I was still afraid that they could hear me. I apologized to Edward for not calling sooner, but he seemed to have gotten my text message earlier, because he'd known I was busy. So, good, that meant he wasn't upset or anything.

There was suddenly a quiet rap on my door. My eyes flashed it in the dark and I feared that someone might've heard me talking. I told Edward to hold on and I quickly stuffed the phone under my pillow to hide it, and hopefully, muffle what he could hear.

I got off the bed and unlocked the door to pull it open. The light from the hallway flooded in as my mom stood in the doorway. She eyed my body, clearly seeing that I wasn't in my pajamas.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yes, Mom. What's up?" I questioned.

She looked into my darkened room. "Why are you in here with the lights off? You're not a bat, Isabella."

I sighed. "It's Bella, Mom, you know that. And I wanted to watch the storm."

"Oh, alright," she said, not appearing convinced, but willing to drop it. "I just wanted to let you know that your father and I are going to bed now, so we'll see you in the morning."

"Okay," I said simply, and began to close the door, but she put out her hand to stop it.

"And I don't mind if Jasper sleeps in here," she whispered with a coy smile.

I frowned. "What?" I asked, confused at why she would want him to spend the night in my room.

She laughed. "Don't think I didn't know that he used to sneak in your room when he'd stay over." And then, she actually winked.

My face grew warm. "Mom!" I exclaimed. "We never did anything, if that's what you're implying. He just didn't like the couch."

"Sure," she mused sheepishly, and walked off towards the stairs. "See you in the morning."

I groaned and quickly shut the door. For some reason, the door squeaked loudly and it nearly scared me how eerie it sounded. I jumped on the bed again and took my phone out from under the pillow.

"Alright, back," I announced, lying down on my stomach.

"Where are you?" he asked.

Another flash of lightening illuminated my room. "At my parent's house in Forks," I answered. "I took Seth home and then came over to my mom and dad's."

My eyes instantly grew wide and my breathing picked up when I realized what I'd just said_. Shit!_ I'd told him I lived in _Forks_. What the fuck was I thinking? Oh, shit, shit, shit. He'd know for sure now. How would he take it? Would he freak out and then hang up when he realized who I was?

"So, then, when are you coming home?" he questioned casually.

Wait…did he not just hear what I said? Had he even caught that I revealed my hometown? _Our_ hometown? "Uhh…" I fumbled, really confused why he hadn't commented on it. "I'm not…" Wait, what had he asked? My mind was still reeling from him not noticing my slip-up. He said something about home in the form of a question, maybe to do with if I'd be going home. "I mean, I'm not going back to my apartment tonight, that is."

"Oh," he said.

I was still feeling nervous and thought it was best to get off the phone just in case I opened my big, fat mouth again, so I lied and told him my battery was low, even though only one bar had been used. He said it was okay, and I was just getting ready to hang up, when I remembered Seth telling me about what he'd said to Edward. I felt I needed to apologize for the little booger's behavior even though he really should've been doing it, but I knew he wouldn't have even if I asked. Edward said sorry, too. He was never the type to own up to his grievances, so when he did, it surprised me. And then, he said that he would be honest with me about the way he was feeling from now on…and I actually believed him. Even though Edward was a damn good liar, there was a slight difference in his tone that made me know he was being nothing but honest.

Then, he brought up that kiss…and I wasn't sure if he was talking about the kiss from the club the other night or the one at my place. Either way, it just reminded me of how soft and inviting his lips were. All I'd ever wanted when I was younger was to kiss Edward, and now I was…though the circumstances weren't ideally what I'd expected when I was a teenager, they still satisfied that suppressed young girl within me. The all too familiar pang of lust began to kick in, and suddenly, I was insanely aroused…in my parent's home. I was feeling awkward about thinking dirty thoughts of Edward's tongue while in my childhood room, so, of course, I had to giggle like a five year old girl hyped up on sugar sticks.

I could hear the stairs creaking outside my room, and I gasped. Someone was coming up the stairs. Without saying anything to Edward, I quickly shoved my phone under my pillow and sat Indian style on my bed. My door pushed open and light flooded in from the hallway. The silhouette of Jasper stood in the doorway against the light, and if this were a horror film, I'd have screamed at the sight. All he needed was a chainsaw and a deformed face and he was good to go. Then again, maybe all he needed was a chainsaw.

"What are you doing in the dark?" Jasper whispered, I guess, not wanting to wake up my parents. It was weird; I couldn't see his mouth moving since the front part of him was shrouded in darkness. Or he could've picked up ventriloquism.

"Nothing," I whispered back.

"Thanks for abandoning me downstairs with your parents. Your mom told me that if I ever needed help buying you jewelry that I should ask her. She put a heavy emphasis on 'jewelry,' too."

I chuckled quietly. "Fantastic," I said dryly. My mom was a bit delusional, it seemed.

"Anyway, I'm on my way to the bathroom, so I'll be back," he said, and walked out into the hallway. I heard the bathroom light click on and then Jasper shut the door.

I silently cursed to myself and grabbed my cell from under my pillow. I'd have to wrap up my phone call with Edward, even though I didn't want to.

"Um, Edward," I said, feeling nervous. The line was a little quiet, and I wondered if he'd hung up, but then I could hear his breathing. It was a bit faster than usual.

"What the hell was that?" he abruptly asked, sounding irritated.

I knew I couldn't answer him, so I thought it would just be best to get off the phone and talk to him when I'd go home tomorrow. "I think I better go. I—" I cut myself off when I heard the bathroom door out in the hallway creak open loudly. "Shit!"

I quickly jammed the phone back under the pillow, but in my haste, I ended up shoving the pillow and the phone on the carpeted ground. I cursed again and got up on my knees so I could bend over the side of the bed and pick the phone back up. I was just about to grab it off the floor, when I heard Jasper ask what I was doing. I froze and realized what I probably looked like. My ass was high up in the air for all of God's creation to see. I was sure someone could've mistaken it for one of those random radio towers with the flashing red light on it that never seemed to flash consistently. Great. In a time of panic, I was thinking about red lights on my ass.

I got off the bed hastily and walked over to him. "Nothing," I snapped, aggravated that he was always so damn curious. "What is it?"

He backed up a bit into the hallway, sensing my change in attitude. "Do you mind if I sleep with you tonight?" he asked warily. "The couch sucks and it's not like we haven't done it before…" He leaned into my ear to whisper. "We can even make a fort."

I laughed. There was no way we could ever fit into the old blanket forts we used to make. "Yeah, no problem, Jazz."

His phone suddenly vibrated in his pants, and he took it out. A smile stretched across his face when he looked at the screen. He showed it to me, and I felt a wave of happiness shoot through me that he was that excited to get a call from Alice. They were so cute together. He signaled that he was going to take the call downstairs, and then left. I switched on the light, deciding that I definitely wasn't a bat, like my mom had graciously pointed out. I walked around the side of the bed and groaned as I saw the phone scattered carelessly on the ground.

"Shit," I cursed, and picked it up. "Edward? Sorry, about that. I dropped my phone and—"

"Don't fucking lie to me, Bella," he seethed, cutting me off.

I was completely taken aback. Why would he think I would lie about dropping my phone? "Excuse me?" I questioned, confused.

"I fucking heard him. I heard him there with you!"

Oh fuck. Had he heard me talking to Jasper? But, why was he so pissed at that? "Who?" I asked dumbly, wanting to confirm it. Then, I realized that he'd probably heard Jasper saying he wanted to sleep with me. _Shit!_ Did he think I was going to cheat on him or something? Oh God…

"Jasper, that's who," he answered. I could hear his breathing grow heavy. Then, he asked if Jasper and I were "fuck buddies." But, even though it was a question, he was clearly accusing me of it. How fucking dare he?

To say I was angry was putting it mildly. I was pissed beyond reproach. My blood was boiling and my body became tense. I was so fucking sick of him being pissed at Jasper all the fucking time. He didn't deserve that shit. Even though Jasper was slightly annoying sometimes when he'd badger me, it was just because he was trying to protect me, and I knew that. I was fucking grateful for it.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Where the fuck do you get off asking me something like that?" I asked, my voice rising, but not giving a damn who could hear.

"What the hell are you talking about? Have you forgotten that we're dating? Has that fucking slipped your mind? Oh, wait…is this another one of your fucking _secrets_?"

I wanted to laugh at him. He was the biggest fucking hypocrite in the goddamn world. Yes, I fucking had secrets, but so did he. He was the fucking king of secrets. If he couldn't admit to that, then he was a fucking delusional bastard. And I ended up clueing him into that, too. What was worse was that he thought that because we were "dating" that he was entitled to full ownership of what I did, like I was his fucking pet or something. No one controlled me. I was the master of my own fucking life, and I refused to give into his control freak fucked up tendencies.

"So, is this sweet Bella or bitch Bella?" he asked casually. I sucked in air quickly. He had just called me a bitch! Fucking condescending, self centered, cocky, sexist, chauvinistic _bastard_! If the shithead wanted to live, he'd have shut up right then, but no, he had to go and not only insinuate I was bipolar, but accuse me again of being with Jasper. Did Edward even hear himself and how absolutely psychotic he sounded? God, I prayed for all the women that'd had to put up with his fucking shit.

After a few more heated exchanges, the final straw came when he told me to have a great time fucking Jasper. That was it. I was done. I was fucking through with him and all his fucking crap. I wanted out. I hoped never to have to see his fucking face again. He could go off and screw whoever he goddamn pleased just to satisfy his need for a pent up release, but I was done with his ass, and he'd never get to lay a fucking finger on me. I would enjoy the fact that he fucking failed for once in his life.

So, just to piss him the fuck off, like he did to me, I told him that I would definitely have a good time with Jasper. Then, to seal the fucking deal, I told him to hit the road, in laymen terms. And I didn't feel one ounce of regret as I practically punched the end button and threw it on my bed. I grabbed my pillow and began hitting my cell repeatedly with it out of frustration and a week's worth of tension. On my fifteenth time beating my phone to a pulp, Jasper came rushing into my room.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he exclaimed urgently, and grabbed my arms to stop my violent movements. "What's the matter with you? Calm down!" He ripped the pillow from my hand and threw it back on my bed.

My chest was heaving and my breaths were coming out strained and ragged. I didn't even feel like I was taking in breaths at that point because absolutely no oxygen was flowing to my brain. And then, without putting any thought into it, I did something that I never thought I would do in a million years.

I fisted Jasper's shirt and crashed my lips to his. He staggered back, and I followed, keeping our lips attached. He fell back against my desk, knocking over a small desk lamp I had there. My head was throbbing and my chest felt tight. He wasn't even responding to me, and I couldn't seem to work my own lips. They were merely pressed flat against his. My eyes screwed shut, and I emitted a soft whimper. But it wasn't a whimper out of pleasure. It was agonized, tortured. I was in pain, I felt completely numb and empty. And to top it all off, Jasper's mouth felt all wrong and not…they weren't _his_. Jasper's mouth wasn't Edward's. Edward's lips were soft and full, and when we'd kiss, our lips would fit together like a puzzle piece. When I kissed Jasper, I didn't feel that spark that made me weak in the knees and dizzy with arousal and excitement. If anything, I was dizzy because I felt like at any minute, I could vomit from all the emotions brewing inside me. This wasn't right.

I opened my eyes and pulled back slowly, staring directly at Jasper, whose eyes were wide in terror. His body appeared limp and unmoving, his face pale. I took a few steps back and sat on the bed. I hung my head and began to cry, allowing the tears to flow freely down my cheeks. After a few silent minutes, the bed compressed and a warm body sat next to me.

"If you're gonna beat up your phone, at least do it right and use a hammer so it does actual damage," Jasper said quietly, and nudged my shoulder with his. I sniffled and allowed my hair to curtain around my face so he couldn't see me. "What about with an Acme anvil, huh? Those things always seem to flatten Wile E. Coyote." He nudged my shoulder again. I didn't respond. "Maybe Rose, then? She said when she was twelve, she shot a boy in the butt with a BB gun by accident, but I think we both know she did it on purpose." I smiled. Rose had said that the boy was hospitalized and couldn't sit on his ass for weeks. "Oh, I know. Your mom's vegetable lasagna." I laughed and wiped my nose with the back of my hand. My mom's cooking tasted like shit. Jasper slung his arm around my shoulder. "There you go."

After a few minutes of just our quiet breathing, he stood and said he'd be back in a minute. I sat still, not really absorbing anything that had just occurred, just allowing myself to take in the sounds of the rain beating against my bedroom window. Jasper came back within a couple minutes holding a big blue book. He sat down right next to me again.

"Okay, so I was going through some boxes in the attic at my parent's house. Check this out." He handed me the book and I read the silver engraved lettering that said _Class of '02_. I traced my fingers over the letters.

I'd never ended up buying a yearbook back in my senior year. I'd been too hurt to have something remind me of a time in my life I'd just wanted to forget.

Jasper flipped open the book and to the all the pictures with the seniors. He pointed to a picture of a gangly looking boy with messy blond hair. "Look," he said. I laughed, immediately recognizing him as Jasper. "I looked good, didn't I?"

"Your eyes aren't even open," I pointed out, my voice hoarse.

"Yeah, 'cause I was going for the whole too cool to keep my eyes open thing…you know," he explained lamely.

I rolled my eyes. "Right, that's exactly what you were doing."

He turned the next page and pointed to a skinny, pale boy with greasy hair and large glasses. His expression was completely serious and he sort of looked constipated. I groaned and cringed. Eric Yorkie. He was my high school nightmare. Since freshman year, he'd tried to ask me out, and though I never said no up front, I'd made it blatantly clear that I was not interested in him. He was an absolute dork, too. He'd somehow gotten the school to allow a Harry Potter club, which Eric was the president of. I read the books back in school, but I wasn't obsessed with them like him. Every chance Eric got, he'd try to talk to me about the books and explain his theories about the plot that never ended up panning out. He was sorely convinced that Voldemort was actually Harry from the future. He said he had the evidence to prove it and then would try to show me his detailed notes.

"That kid was nuts," I said.

"Nuts for you," Jasper added, snickering. "Remember he asked you out to prom?"

I groaned. "Don't remind me," I muttered.

"Poor guy waited for you in his mother's station wagon outside your house for two hours."

"Hey, I _told_ him that I wasn't going. It wasn't my fault if he was a dumbass."

Jasper showed me a few other people, including me, which was highly embarrassing because my bangs had been so thick and long, you could hardly see my face. I noticed Jasper skipped a page, and I wondered if he'd done that on purpose or by accident. After another twenty minutes of making fun of people, he set the book on the nightstand and we decided to go to bed. He got into the far left side of the bed, while I got into the right. We didn't say a word about what had happened between us earlier, and frankly, I didn't think either of us would even bring it up later.

He conked out almost straight away, his snores sounding like a goddamn lawnmower. I lay on my side, facing away from him with my eyes open wide. I couldn't sleep. My mind was working a million miles per hour with jumbled thoughts I couldn't understand. All of them had to do with Edward, but I refused to make sense of any of them.

I finally realized that I wasn't going to get any sleep, and not just because of Jasper's whistling nose in between snores. So, I slipped out of bed and walked over to my door. Before I took hold of the knob, I turned around and saw the yearbook lying on the nightstand near Jasper. I walked back over and grabbed it, clutching it tightly to my chest. Making sure to be quiet, I opened the door and clicked it softly behind me. The hallway was dark as I made my way to the stairs. I walked into the living room and turned on the lamp near the couch. After organizing a few throw pillows against one of the armrests, I lay down and opened up the yearbook to the senior pictures.

All these people had never noticed me, save for Jasper and Eric Yorkie. I wondered if half of them would be able to recognize me now, even though I was bangless and actually wearing feminine clothes. They probably wouldn't.

I stopped at the page Jasper had skipped earlier and realized why he'd purposely overlooked it. Three rows down and two boxes across was a handsome young man, his hair dark and messy, a luminous smile stretched across his face, his green eyes bright, his features perfect. I stayed staring at him for what felt like forever, until my eyes began to feel heavy, and my mind slipped into unconsciousness.

X-X-X-X

"Okay, stand together, you two," my mom ordered, holding up a Polaroid camera.

Jasper and I groaned, but stood next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, wearing very unamused expressions.

"No, no, Jasper," Mom chided, and grabbed Jasper's arm, flinging it around my shoulder. "Hold her close."

"Mom, can you hurry up? We wanna hit the road so we can get there by lunch," I said.

"Pictures take time, Isabella," my mother said, trying to figure out how to work the camera.

"It's Bella, Mom, and why are you using a Polaroid?" I questioned.

"Those fancy new cameras are too much trouble. You take the pictures and then you can never get print outs of them. I go to Walgreens and hand them the camera, they point me to this large computer with no mouse, which asks if I have some sort of flashy drive. I didn't know what that was, so I left," she explained, and I rolled my eyes. My mother was technologically retarded.

"Flash drive, Mom," I corrected, but I knew she'd probably continue to call it a flashy drive.

"Mrs. Swan, you can get a printer where you can just set the digital camera in and it prints the pictures out for you on the spot," Jasper said.

"Well, they should tell me this at Walgreens instead of asking for flashy drives," my mother stated. "Now hold still and let me do this."

Finally, we left my parent's house, but not before my mother casually slipped the Polaroid picture into my purse. Jasper and I followed each other as we drove back to Seattle, the roads moderately wet, but at least there was traction.

Jasper came up to my place to see Alice and take her out to lunch. I pretty much tried to avoid her as they left. I really didn't know what would happen if she found out what I did to Jasper the night before. I definitely had no plans to tell her, but knowing Jasper, he might, and then she'd jump down my throat, anyway. So, I was really just prolonging the inevitable.

Rose could tell something was up with me straight away, of course. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face the emotions from yesterday, but I knew that I wasn't as on edge about it all. If I didn't sort out everything in my head, it would just continue to eat away at me. So, I told Rose what had happened with Edward on the phone. She groaned every now and then, but managed to sit through without insulting him.

"That asshole," she said. I suppose I spoke too soon. "I can't believe he accused you of screwing Jasper."

"In his defense, what he heard on the phone probably sounded like that," I said, shocking myself. Now that I thought about it, I could see why he jumped to that conclusion at that moment, but it still didn't excuse everything else.

"Yeah, but his jealousy of Jasper stretches back before he heard that. He'd have found any reason to pinpoint you as two timing him," Rose said.

I furrowed my brow. "Why would he do that? There's no reason to be jealous of Jasper."

"Well, isn't it obvious?" she asked.

"No," I replied. Even though Jasper was supposed to be my "ex," he hadn't shown signs of being attracted to me in front of Edward.

"Bella, he likes you, and not just sexually. Seeing or imagining another guy with you would be hard for him," she explained.

I thought about this for a moment. I figured he started to like me, but could he actually be jealous of Jasper because he didn't like the idea of me being with another man?

"When you were in school and you saw him with other girls, how did it make you feel?" Rose questioned.

I wrinkled my nose. I really didn't want to think about this at all. "I tried not to think too much about it," I said.

"But, it made you jealous, right?"

I used to always be envious when he'd have a new girl, but I also knew that I'd never get a chance to be with him, so I tried not to dwell on it. "A little."

"So, in his own stupid way, he just basically told you that he wanted you all to himself," Rose added.

When she put it that way, it made me feel like utter shit for how things ended between us. He still had said some hurtful things, but so had I. At the time, I'd become so inflamed with anger, that the words just spilled out of my mouth with no second thought, but now that I'd had quite a bit of time to cool down, it was all beginning to seem out of place. We shouldn't have gotten so angry with each other. He was hurt; I was hurt. But, _why_ was I hurt?

When I'd started seeing him, it was just supposed to be my revenge with no emotions attached from my part, but it'd been far from that. It seemed like I'd experienced a whole rollercoaster of emotions in the week I'd been with him. I'd felt sad, angry, confused, but most of all, there were times when I'd just felt…happy. I couldn't deny that when I wasn't with him, I was anxious to see him, and when I was with him, I was satisfied. But, what did that mean?

Right now, I knew I felt hurt by what we said to each other. I felt regret for how everything ended. I felt empty that he would probably never want to speak to me again. But, aside from all that, I couldn't help but feel completely elated that I knew, without a doubt, that he liked me. That had always been the only thing that I'd wanted. Since I was a teenager, it was all I thought about. Now, as an adult, it could be possible. We could be together like I'd always wanted. He'd stop his games and so would I.

Could we really do that?

I knew I could. I'd stop my never ending cycle of being with broken men. I'd give it all up for him. I'd never felt completely satiated with any man…but with Edward, it was so different. When we were together, it felt right. I'd tried to deny it every time, but there was no way I could now. I had no clue what would be in store for us, but I knew that if we took it step by step, we could work on an actual, normal relationship together. No lies. No secrets. Just us.

Wow. I liked Edward Cullen. Well, _still_ liked. Maybe I never stopped.

Was I really thinking this? Just a day ago, I'd been deciding whether I should go into phase three or not, and now I was considering completely tossing the plan down the drain. But, this felt right. I wanted to be with him and be able to truly be myself. Not this pretend, broken Bella Stork whose heart needed mending, but Bella Swan, who was a confident, independent woman with a bit of an overly zealous romantic life in her past. But, he could understand that, right? He'd gone through practically the same thing, but for much longer. Was he sick of it all, seeing girl after girl with no added benefit except a release? Maybe he was. I could believe that. I hoped to believe that.

There was only one problem. I'd told him I never wanted to speak to him again. At the time, I was pretty serious, too. He hadn't even bothered to call once since then, so he probably believed it. Of course, I didn't mean it now. I wanted, needed to see him. If I called him, would he pick up?

After talking to Rose, I decided to try his phone. I had no plans for what I would say, except to ask him if he'd please meet me for lunch or something. That was a start, if any, and we could just talk and hash everything out.

I found his name in my contacts and pressed talk with trembling hands. Immediately, the call went to voicemail.

"_Hi, you've reached Edward Cullen. I'm a big douche and probably didn't answer my phone because I'm gay and like to watch gay porn in my free time. So, try to call back when I'm not jacking off to that. See ya, bitches." _

I laughed. I could recognize Emmett's loud, unique voice anywhere. I wondered if Edward knew that his voicemail had been hijacked. Probably not, which made it all the more better.

"Edward, hey…" I started, leaving a message. "Um, I know last night I said some things…but I just wanted to say that I didn't mean them, and a lot of what I said was just out of anger, and I'm sorry. I really would like to talk to you in person, but you're not picking up your phone. Maybe I'll catch you later. Anyway…I miss you. A lot." I hung up, not wanting to say goodbye to him.

I was a bit bummed that he hadn't picked up, and I wondered what he was doing right now. Was he at the club? Out at the gym, maybe? Perhaps he was just at home and avoiding my calls. The very thought of that was unsettling, and I knew I had to find a way to get him to see me. I could go to his apartment, and then if he wasn't there, I'd go to the club. I'd find him and work all our shit out from last night. I'd assure him of my feelings and that Jasper meant nothing to me but a good friend, much like Alice or Rose.

With determination, I went into my room and changed out of my clothes I'd worn since yesterday. I was just about to walk back out of my room when I noticed Jasper's yearbook on the bed. I'd asked him back at my parent's house if I could borrow it, since I'd never fully looked through it when I was younger. It could be nice to take a walk down memory lane.

Twenty minutes later, I was walking up to Edward's door. I had no idea if he was even home and was prepared to get back into my car and head over to Satyr. When I knocked on his door, however, I heard movement inside, but no footsteps near the door.

"Uh, yeah…who is it?" I heard Edward ask from inside his apartment. My heart instantly began to race at the sound of his voice. He was in there. Right now. God, I wanted to see him.

"Edward…it's me. Bella," I said anxiously, and then cursed myself because he probably knew who I was just by my voice without me having to announce it.

I waited for him to open up the door, but two minutes and a half later, he still hadn't. I hung my head, tears beginning to brim my eyes.

He didn't want to see me.

I pressed my forehead against the door, knowing I should go, but remembering that I told myself I would see him, even if it was just to apologize. "Edward, I know what I said on the phone last night, and I'm sorry. I lied," I began to explain. If he wasn't going to open the door, I'd do it from the hallway. "I shouldn't have told you I never wanted to speak to you again. I was only hurting both of us by saying that. I don't…I can't just stop talking to you. I like you, Edward…a lot. I was such an idiot for even thinking it, but God, I was just so angry." I took a deep breath. "And I lied about Jasper. We weren't going to sleep together like you thought. I only said we were to piss you off. Like I said, I was angry. Jasper and I, we're friends, but there's nothing more to it. See, we were never actually—"

The door suddenly flew open, revealing an exhausted looking Edward. His hair was a mess, his clothes disheveled, his eyes hesitating to look at me. He suddenly looked straight into my eyes, and I knew then. I wanted to tell him everything, who I was in high school, that I owned Touch&Go…everything. I wanted to bare my soul to this man. I just hoped that he'd let me.

"Hi," he greeted, his piercing gaze electrifying my entire being.

"Hey," I greeted back, feeling timid all of a sudden, even though I had just been babbling outside his door for almost five minutes. "Um…I'm sorry for talking your ear off. I just didn't think you'd open the door…"

"Why?" he asked, appearing sad, which made me feel even more upset at all I'd said last night.

"Well...because of our conversation on the phone," I replied. I sighed, and locked eyes with his. _I can do this. Just apologize first._ "Edward…I'm so sorry. You have to know, everything I said to you about Jasper and not wanting you to call me again was a lie. I didn't mean any of it." My throat was beginning to constrict, and I knew that any moment, I would cry. It took everything in me to hold it back.

He sighed heavily. His eyes became agonized for some reason and he reached out and pulled me to him, crushing me to his body as he wrapped his arms around my back. I grabbed onto his waist and nuzzled my face into his chest, smelling his musky scent. His arms felt so damn perfect around me. I wished I could always stay in them.

"Bella," he whispered in my ear, his lips grazing the shell. "I'm so fucking sorry. I'm…_fuck_…I fucking messed up." I felt his body relax, and I pressed my cheek against his. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about you and him, but shit…I hate that motherfucker for what he did to you."

I pulled back a bit to look into his eyes. He had to know that Jasper was never a boyfriend, just a friend. I knew it was a risk, but since I wanted to be honest with him from now on, I should probably tell him that we'd kissed. "I need to tell you something about that…Jasper…we—"

"No, baby, stop," he interrupted in a whisper and brushed his nose against mine. "I trust you, Bella. Completely. It's me I haven't trusted. I've been so confused about everything. Our conversation was a real eye opener." He grabbed my face, rubbing my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "I want to be with you. Only you. I really like you, Bella. For everything you are. I know that for certain now."

A tear fell down my cheek as I stared at him. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real. He actually wanted me. He was sure now. No more games. No more secrets. I could by myself and so could he.

"Don't cry," he whispered, and brushed my tear away. "Please don't cry." He leaned in, pressing his lips to mine lightly. I shuddered at his soft touch. I parted my lips, allowing him to claim my mouth, to claim me. I wanted to be his, the only woman in his life, the only woman to make him feel like this.

His fingers tangled deep within my hair as we began to move our lips in synchronicity. The puzzles pieces finally fitting. It was slow, deep, sweet, and it portrayed every single thing we both felt at that moment. This wasn't a kiss based out of lust. This kiss was much more multifaceted than that. It was a kiss worth a thousand words of passion, adoration, devotion. I wrapped my arms around his waist, trying to bring him closer to me, and that was when I felt him. His arousal pressed into my stomach. A low groan emitted from him, and he intensified the kiss, making me dizzy with nothing but thoughts of him, his mouth, his words.

I knew that I would give myself to this man right now if he asked. I wanted him to take me in every way. He could have me anyway he wanted. It didn't matter, because I was his, body and soul.

His grip tightened in my hair, and he suddenly pulled back, resting his forehead against mine. "We need to stop," he breathed, both of our hearts pounding furiously. "I want you, Bella, but I want to take our time."

I smiled and kissed his neck lightly. Here I was, wanting to give my body to him, and he was wanting to take his time. How the tables had turned. It was good, though, to know that he was serious about me, and the physical aspect of our relationship would come in its own time. That still didn't mean I wouldn't let him take me if he asked, because _God_ I so would.

"How honorable of you, sir," I joked, brushing my lips against his stubbly jaw.

He chuckled. "I know."

I sighed and reluctantly extracted my arms from around him, missing the feel of him all ready. He ran his hands down my neck, shoulders, arms, and grabbed my hands. He brought both up and placed chaste kisses on them.

I grinned, loving how sweet he was. I knew, though, that I had more to tell him. I didn't want any secrets between us. "I have some stuff I need to tell you. Can I come in?" I asked, tightening my hold on his hands.

He suddenly went rigid, and the soft expression he held before became marred by a worried one. "Umm…Uhh," he fumbled, his eyes darting left and right. I furrowed my brow at his odd reaction. Did he not want me to come in? "Maybe we can go to your place or something." He let go of my hands and took a step backwards, his eyes still not meeting mine. "Let me just go get my keys."

"Wait," I urged, a bit taken aback. "Why do we need to go to my place? We're here, let's just stay." With that, I took a step inside his apartment. His hand shot up to my shoulders, stopping me from moving any further.

"I just…I wasn't expecting company and the place is sort of a mess," he said.

I looked around. There wasn't a thing out of place, save for a random cigarette lighter haphazardly tossed on the ground near the couch. When did Edward start smoking? Oh, maybe it was Emmett's. I couldn't remember seeing him smoking.

I laughed. "The place looks great. Trust me." I stepped around him and walked further inside.

"No…Bella…" he trailed off.

I turned around and gave him a curious expression. He was being so weird. His place looked fine. And here I thought women cared more about appearances than men. "Babe, don't worry. It's not like I haven't seen your apartment before in much worse condition. Emmett's not exactly tidy," I remarked, laughing.

I noticed he wasn't moving, he was just frozen in place, staring at me with wide eyes. His hands were balled into tight fists at his side and his face appeared paler than usual.

"Okay, what's wrong with you?" I asked.

He blinked a few times, and then opened his mouth to talk, but stopped himself when his cell phone rang. He took his phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen. His brow furrowed and he looked back up at me. "I have to make a phone call. Maybe we could just go—"

I was sick of him saying we should go. "No," I said sternly. "Just make your phone call. We can talk in a bit."

"Yeah, but—" he began to say, but was cut off by his phone ringing again. He looked down at the screen and suddenly cursed loudly. His eyes frantically locked with mine. "Can you just please stay here? Don't move, okay?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't planning to."

He lingered for another moment, and then went out into the hallway. I scratched the back of my head, really bewildered over his bizarre behavior. But, whatever, at least I was here. I sighed happily and turned around. My eyes caught sight of something blue by the couch, and I saw a small piece of fabric under the middle cushion. I thought maybe it was a tag or something, but it was oddly placed. I walked over and bent down to pull at it, and more and more of it slipped out, revealing an entire shirt.

"What the hell?" I questioned.

It was a light blue halter neck top. It looked like something Rose would wear, and I wrinkled my nose in disgust. I really hoped she and Emmett hadn't had a sexcapade on this couch or something. Casting that mental image out of my mind, I turned with it in my hand and walked towards Emmett's room.

_I should probably hang this up so it doesn't wrinkle. _

But then, I felt weird going into Emmett's room. I'd feel much more comfortable going in Edward's. I could just hang it up in his closet. I was sure he wouldn't mind, unless men had hang ups about girl clothing hanging in their closets. Whatever, he'd have to deal.

I took a few steps back and spun around towards Edward's room. I pushed open the closed door and observed his room. Completely empty…and clean. Geez, he was panicking for nothing. I would never understand men.

I walked the few steps over to his walk in closet and noticed the door was closed. He usually kept it open. I grabbed onto the handle and pulled it down. I swung open the door, and my stomach began to turn, my heart thrashed in my chest, and my breathing spiked.

Staring back at me was a done up blonde woman with light blue eyes and full pink lips. Her expression matched mine as we stared at each other. And that was when I noticed…she was wearing nothing but a black mini skirt and lacy red bra.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Gah! Schemeward's in trouble. **

**I was going to split this chapter in half because it just got so damn long, but I asked my followers on twitter if they wanted a long chapter or a short, and they all said long, except for one person who said, "I don't care, just give me the chapter!" So, yeah. If you were cringing at the length, blame them. :-)  
**

**I'll be going out of town next week and won't have proper time to write, so the next chapter will be delayed for two weeks, July 6****th****. However, I've written an outtake that I will be posting next week. It'll be a look into high school Isabella Swan, and, of course, Edward will be there, too. So, put me on author alert for that one, since it won't be attached to this story. **

**Thanks for reading! I double dog dare you to review. I'd love to hear your thoughts.  
**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**


	18. Inferno: Part One

**A/N:**

**Well, you guys weren't too happy with Edward, were you? Understandable. This chapter is the first part out of two, which means next chapter will be Schemeward's POV, as well. **

**Thanks to my beta, Lindz26, for her work on this chapter.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Bella decided to give up her revenge plot to be with Edward. When she went over to his apartment for a reconciliation, she came face to face with a woman in his closet.

* * *

**

**~*INFERNO - PART ONE*~  
*EDWARD***

_Long legs, decent rack, tight ass...This one could work…_

_Shit, never mind, her ears are too big. _

I turned back around in my chair to face the bar and took another swig of my third scotch in a row, the ice cubes cold against my lips. The harsh liquid burned my throat, igniting a warm shiver throughout my body.

For two hours, this was how it'd been. I'd find a perfectly acceptable woman, assess her body, decide I was going to make a move, and then I'd find some trivial flaw about her that would throw me off, causing me to start all over again. I wasn't looking to play games right now. I wanted a fuck. A raw, rough, anonymous fuck. The problem certainly wasn't me. No, it was _them_. No woman seemed to whet my appetite enough for that. They were all just…well, they weren't what I wanted.

I looked across the bar, my eyes catching sight of a petite brunette sitting by herself, drinking an almost empty cosmopolitan. From what I could tell, she had a good body. She looked like she worked out a lot, and I bet she'd be great in bed. That was good enough, right? All I had to do now was go up to her and buy her a drink, maybe whisper something sexy in her ear to get her going, and then she'd be mine. But as I made up my mind to get up and walk over to her, she brought her hair around from the back of her to the front. I froze. Her hair was the exact same length and shade of brown as…

_Don't think about her. Don't you dare fucking think about her. _

I immediately sat back down and turned away. No more goddamn brunettes! From now on, it was blondes. Only blondes.

Picking up my glass again, I stared down into the dark liquid and swirled it around, the ice clicking together. I drank what was left of my scotch and placed it back on the counter, watching as the condensation began to trickle down the sides.

"On to your fourth now?" a feminine, breathy voice asked behind the bar counter. I looked up and saw my employee, Jane. Hmm. She was blonde, and a perk was that she had light blue eyes. _Not _brown. Definitely not deep, chocolate brown eyes that seemed to be a bottomless pool, always drawing me in and…

I shook my head, dispelling my errant thoughts. "Jane, you're blonde," I noted matter-of-factly, more to myself. "What time do you get off work?"

She raised an eyebrow, a devilish smirk tickling her lips. "I don't know. You tell me, _boss_."

Oh, right. I should've known, since she worked for me, but it wasn't like I really ever paid attention to that stuff. Angela usually handled who worked when. "Wanna get out of here?" I asked, my voice hoarse from the alcohol.

She pressed her lips together and gave me an odd sort of look, but didn't say anything. Well, fuck, was she going to say yes or not? She wrapped her slim fingers around the glass, and a small sized diamond ring caught my eye.

"I'm sure my fiancé would have something to say about that," she said, and grabbed a bottle of scotch from the shelf behind her.

I rolled my eyes. _Blondes and their stupid rules. _ "Who said anything about a fiancé?" I questioned, annoyed.

She placed the scotch back in front of me and leaned forward against the counter on her forearms. "What happened to that sweet looking woman you've had trailing after you for the last several days."

Ha! _Trailing after me_. Wasn't it the other way around?

I shrugged, and took a long pull of my scotch, allowing my mind to focus on the feel of the liquor lining my throat and nothing else.

"That's a shame," she remarked. "You two seemed like a nice pair."

I slammed the glass on the counter, the liquid sloshing over the edges. "Thanks for the _input_," I said, a bite to my tone, "but don't you have customers to attend to?"

She shrunk back with a frown, and walked away briskly. Fucking blondes. From now on, it was redheads. Only redheads.

A large hand landed on my shoulder and squeezed it hard. I groaned in aggravation and sat up straighter, getting ready to bolt if I needed to.

"Hey, bro," Emmett greeted a bit too happily, considering I'd treated him like shit all day. He sat on a bar stool next to me. "How's it going?"

"How's what going?" I asked flatly, taking another pull of my scotch.

"I've been watching you on and off for about an hour now. Don't worry; I was once in your spot," he assured cryptically.

I scowled. "What the hell are you talking about? All I'm looking for is a woman to fuck, but none of them in this damn club are even hot."

He chuckled, and I glared at him. His expression turned serious in an instant. "You know, when I first met Rose, I tried get in her panties straight away," he started. _Oh, great. Are we sharing love stories now? _"She made it clear to me that she wasn't the type to do that, and I had to make a choice whether to move on and go back to mindlessly screwing girl after girl, or try something new with Rose, who I got along with and who actually made me smile. Even though I barely knew her, I ended up choosing to wait because I wanted to look forward to seeing her day after day, knowing that someone could respect and care for me the way I knew she would, the way I know she does. And now, every girl in this club is faceless to me, as well."

I laughed coldly, and stood, taking my scotch with me. "Touching. _Truly_ touching, Em," I said sarcastically, and began to walk away. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

He grabbed my shoulder before I could move an inch, halting my movement. "What I'm saying is that I understand what you're going through. There are tons of hot women in here tonight, even for a Wednesday night, and yet we—you and I—can't see them. It's because they're not special like the girls we have."

I set my scotch down on the bar counter and shrugged his hand off my shoulder. "Had," I corrected solemnly, and walked through the crowd towards the exit.

X-X-X-X

Thursday.

Why did today have to be Thursday of all days?

This day used to represent starting fresh, a new beginning, an additional conquest. Now, it would forever be known as the day I failed. I'd never failed, not once. For years I'd seduced women in the span of a week—Thursday to Thursday. That was all the time I needed to make them mine. I wouldn't just take their bodies, I'd take their minds, their hearts. They'd hand themselves completely over to me, and I loved making them think I gave myself to them, as well, when in actuality, I was far removed from them. None of them meant anything to me. They were merely a pawn in my strategic game of Chess.

Until Bella.

What started out as a scheme on her, wound up being my own undoing. It wasn't like she was messing with me—I knew that for certain—but I did know that she'd been completely oblivious to my maneuvers to get her in bed. I'd wanted her so bad, too. Probably more than any other woman I'd come across. She was different…she was…she was special.

Special.

Bella was special.

It was noon and I was sitting on my couch, thinking about everything that had happened between Bella and me and how it'd ended.

Last night, I'd gone to Satyr after Bella hung up on me, looking for a random fuck to prove that she meant nothing to me, but after talking to Emmett, I'd realized that it wouldn't have been satisfying because she _did_ mean something to me. All that would've occurred was a temporary reprieve from thinking about her. And even then, I wasn't sure I would have been able to stop her from invading my head. She was all I thought about all night, all morning, and even now. She consumed every crevice of my mind. Thoughts of her hair, her eyes, her body, her beautiful, precious face, had become my entire existence. It became what I looked forward to each day. And it was pure torture.

Here I was, miserable over her, and she was most likely in the arms of another man. A man that I hated with every fiber of my being, a man who had broken her heart, nonetheless. She was with _him_…and I was here, alone, far away from her. Would I ever see her again? No. Why? Because I couldn't be with her now knowing that she was with someone else…that her heart belonged to another. It was agonizing to know that she had chosen another man. I wasn't enough for her. She would always belong to Jasper.

It killed me.

I wished with everything I had that she could look at me the way she looked at Jasper, with so much trust and…love. But she didn't, and would never. He'd won. He'd gotten her. And I had no one.

I had to get over her somehow. I had to prove to myself that I could get past this, that I could move on and forget I ever knew her. I wanted to forget she ever came into my life and affected me the way she had. I didn't want to remember the way her small body molded to mine perfectly, the way her soft lips felt against my own, the way her bright smile sparked something within me that made me want to be a better person, the way I completely forgot myself when I was around her. No, I didn't want to remember any of that. Fucking a random stranger wouldn't have done the trick, but maybe fucking someone I'd fucked countless times before, someone who knew exactly what I wanted and would satisfy my physical needs entirely.

I stood and took my phone out of my pocket, sifting through my contacts until I landed on the name I wanted. The phone rang twice before she picked up.

"Edward?" Her voice was soft, breathy, and I always loved hearing her moan my name in bed.

"Kate, what are you doing?" I asked, getting to the point.

I could hear her yawn. "I'm in bed, sleeping," she said.

I rolled my eyes. It was after noon, for fuck's sake. "Well, I need you. So, when can you be ready?" I questioned impatiently. She'd better be fucking ready in ten minutes. My thoughts were still plagued with Bella, her infectious laugh and the way her face would always get a little red when she found something really funny—

"Oh, Edward!" Kate exclaimed, her voice suddenly chipper. "I'm in love!"

I blanched, taken aback. Was she fucking joking? We barely even knew each other. She couldn't be in love with me. "What the hell? Kate, I don't—"

"Not you!" she barked, but her tone softened in an instant. "I met someone. God, he's something, too. I was at this hot new club called Touch&Go and there was this really, really sexy guy who asked me to dance and then it just all happened. I've never felt like this before ever in my entire life. Ever, ever, ever. I mean, I thought for a while I was in love with you, but this is nothing compared—"

"Kate," I interrupted, fully annoyed now. "So, is that a no?"

She sighed dreamily. "I will always cherish the times we—"

I rolled my eyes and hung up on her. Fucking idiots falling in love these days. Whatever. It wasn't like she was the only girl I'd fucked on occasion. I scrolled through my contacts and clicked on Tanya's name. She would, for sure, be available. And, hey, a blow job wasn't so bad. It would still have the same effects as fucking—me getting off.

I heard a loud popping sound as the phone clicked on the third ring. "Yeah, hey, I'm sort of busy," Tanya said. "Can you call back later today?"

I groaned. "No, I will not call back later today. I need you right now."

I swore I could hear distant moaning in the background, but it was muffled. "Yeah, well, _Benjamin_ needs me right now, too," she said, and this time, I definitely heard a guy groan in the background.

"Tanya, what the fuck? I thought I was the only guy you…did that with?" I questioned.

"You haven't called for a while. I figured you forgot about me, and I was bored today, so…"

I could hear slurping and more moans, and I was starting to feel sick now. "Forget it. See ya."

There was another popping sound. "No wait!" she exclaimed. "Come over now. I promise I'll make it worth your while. You _and_ Benjamin."

I hung up on her, because I was certainly not doing _that_. Sighing, I pinched the bridge of my nose and searched through my contacts for one last name. I was depending on her to take away every painful thought I had. Irina would have to do.

"Eddie, it's been a while," Irina purred. "How can I _help_ you?"

Yep, she was a sure thing. "I want you," I said, point blank.

She laughed lightly. "I knew you'd call eventually. I can be ready in five minutes. I know of a great spot we can go to. I've always wanted to fuck on a see-saw."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "No, none of that freaky shit you like. You'll come over to my place," I demanded. No other girl had been to my apartment, except for Bella. Memories of her were all here, taunting me. I needed to create new ones to make her disappear for good.

"My, my," she breathed. "Well, aren't we changing it up a bit, Mr. I-Don't-Fuck-At-My-Apartment? _I like this. _That's an adventure within itself."

"Are you coming or not?" I asked forcefully.

"Mmm," she moaned. "Hopefully soon. What's the address?"

After giving her the address, we hung up, and I waited for Irina in the same spot on the couch for nearly twenty minutes. Thoughts of Bella still gnawed at my brain, and especially more in the silence of the empty apartment. Why couldn't I stop thinking about her? She wasn't thinking about me. If she could do it—if she could erase every single moment we'd had together—then so could I. And yet…as hard as I tried, I couldn't. Why was it so hard to do? Was it because I still wanted to see her at the bottom of it all, even after everything that had transpired? Was it because the very thought of her made me weak with a foreign feeling I'd never felt in my twenty-five years of life?

Before I could obsess over it anymore, there was a sharp knock. I stood quickly and walked over to the door. When I opened it, my heart panged, because in that moment, I wished that the person standing outside my apartment wasn't a blonde haired, blue eyed, woman with a short black skirt, leaving nothing to the imagination, and a skimpy blue halter top. The person I truly desired to be there was a brown haired beauty with soft pale skin and a playful smirk. But she would never be here again.

I had to do this.

"Hey there, good looking. Long time no see," Irina greeted suggestively, removing her black purse strap off her shoulder. "Well, aren't you going to invite a lady in?"

I cleared my throat, suddenly feeling nervous, which was odd. I'd never felt nervous around Irina. Sometimes a bit scared, maybe, because of all the risky places she'd wanted to screw, but definitely not nervous. "Yeah, come in," I offered, and ushered her inside. She walked past me and I shut the door, but didn't follow her. My hand was still wrapped around the doorknob.

She spun around and raised an eyebrow. "Well, give me the grand tour, Eddie. Preferably, the bedroom," she said, adding a chuckle afterward.

I let go of the doorknob. "Do you want anything to drink?" I asked, stalling for some reason.

She furrowed her brow. "No," she answered pointedly, and walked into the living room. She threw her purse on the couch and turned back to me. "Are you just going to stand there all day? Come on."

I walked slowly over to her, one foot stepping in front of the other. _Bella_ _isn't thinking about me. She's with Jasper. She's fucking Jasper_, I thought, trying to gear myself up to do this. _She doesn't want you and never will. _With as much determination as I could muster, I finally made it over to Irina, stopping directly in front of her.

"Jesus, Eddie. You look like you're going off to the gallows. It's just me," she reassured, and pushed against my chest, sitting me down onto the center of the couch. Her expression turned dark, full of lust. "Next time, don't keep me waiting so long." With that, she hiked up her skirt around her waist, revealing a red lace thong. She knew exactly which of her lingerie I'd liked in the past. Normally, I would enjoy it, rub my fingers over it, slowly drag it down her legs, but my fingers were currently digging into the couch cushions.

She propped both knees on either side of my thighs, straddling me, and grabbed onto my shoulders. "Touch me, Eddie," she moaned, closing her eyes.

With shaky hands, I brought both of them up to where her skirt was bunched, and wrapped them around her waist. She sat down on my crotch, grinding a bit. I screwed my eyes shut and waited for my body to react.

"Mmmm, Eddie," she whispered into my ear, her grinding beginning to pick up speed. "We're so great together, don't you think? I know how to make you feel good."

I groaned loudly, but not in pleasure. With as much pressure as she was applying to my cock, I should've gotten hard by now, but I wasn't. Not in the least.

"That's it, baby," she cooed, and licked the shell of my ear. "You wanna fuck me hard, don't you?" My breathing began to pick up and I held on tighter to her waist.

In a fluid motion, she took off her halter top, and threw it over to the other end of the couch. Her lacy red bra was right in my face, wiggling so as to tempt me to touch, caress, suck. But, in that moment, an onslaught of images of Bella's face invaded my head. This was supposed to stop me from thinking about her, and she was still torturing my mind.

This wasn't working.

"Grab my tits, baby," Irina demanded, jutting her chest out an inch closer to my face, and threading her fingers into my hair, tugging on the roots a little.

My hands went slack around her waist and fell to the cushions. "I can't do this," I whispered painfully.

Regardless of whether Bella wanted to be with me or not, I couldn't do something that I just didn't want to. She had made her choice, yes, but I didn't have to prove to her or even myself that I could be with anyone else. I didn't _want_ to be with anyone else…I wanted Bella.

Irina licked a path from below my earlobe to the hollow of my throat. "Mmm, you can do any part of me you want, baby. You don't need my permission."

I shook my head and snapped my eyes open. "No," I said firmly. "Stop."

She halted her grinding and withdrew her fingers from my hair, bringing them down to wrap around the back of my neck. "What's wrong? You usually like me doing this."

"Get up," I commanded.

She gasped. "Edward," she spoke incredulously. "I came here to fuck and that's what we're going to do."

"No, you're going to leave," I said, and grabbed her hips. I pushed her off my lap forcefully and onto the couch, then stood and straightened my pants.

Her mouth fell open, a scowl on her face. She was going to yell at me, and rightly so, but I wanted her out of here now. Before she could even breathe one word in objection, there was suddenly a knock on the door. Both of our heads whipped towards the direction of the sound. _Who the hell is that?_

I grabbed Irina's arm roughly and yanked her up to a standing position. "Pull your skirt down and put your top back on," I demanded angrily.

"No!" she whisper-yelled defiantly, her expression matching mine. We glared at each other for a few seconds before she huffed and began to right her skirt.

I looked over my shoulder in the direction of the door. "Uh, yeah," I called loudly. "Who is it?" It couldn't be Emmett. He had a key and would just walk in.

"Edward," a sweet voice rang, "it's me, Bella."

My eyes went wide and my heart began to thrash in my chest, threatening to break out. I looked at Irina, who was staring at me curiously, then the door where Bella stood behind, and then back at Irina, who now had her eyes narrowed at me. _Shit! I am in deep fuck!_

I couldn't believe Bella was here. Why was she here? I thought I'd never see her again after last night. Did she want to talk? Was she going to tell me how great Jasper was in bed? I didn't think I could stand her telling me about that. The mental images that brought on were enough. Meanwhile, Bella began to talk through the door, and I was still standing in the same place, my hand grasping onto Irina's upper arm harshly.

I knew what I had to do now. I couldn't let Bella get away. I wanted, needed, to see her. I didn't care that she'd been with that idiot last night; I didn't care how we ended things. I just wanted to look at her beautiful face one last time, to burn the image of her in my brain forever.

"Here's what's going to happen," I whispered to Irina, and began to drag her towards my bedroom. "You're going to stay in my room and not come out at all. You're not even going to make a sound." I opened my bedroom door and pulled her inside, then glared at her. "You understand me?"

She huffed. "Are you fucking—?" she began to yell, but I slapped my hand over her mouth.

"Shhh! Be quiet!" I whispered venomously, and looked over my shoulder, as if Bella would magically be there and witness this half naked girl in my bedroom. I removed my hand and let go of her arm.

"Why don't you fucking just throw me in the closet, then, huh?" she questioned sarcastically.

"Good idea," I agreed, and dragged her to my walk in closet.

"This is fucked up, Edward!" she growled.

I pushed her inside and began to close the door. "Not a peep, Irina," I warned, and shut the door to her scowling face.

Without any further delay, I walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. I was just about to head to the door, when I caught sight of Irina's shirt thrown haphazardly on the couch, as well as her purse. I walked over quickly and stuffed her shirt under the couch cushion, cursing the entire time, and threw her purse inside the pantry of the kitchen. After that was taken care of, I made my way towards the door. I noticed Irina's cigarette lighter on the ground, near the couch, but left it. Bella was still talking, and I just caught the end of it.

"We weren't going to sleep together like you thought," she said. My pulse quickened at her words, and my expression softened. They didn't have sex? "I only said we were to piss you off. Like I said, I was angry. Jasper and I, we're friends, but there's nothing more to it. See, we were never actually—"

I wrapped my hand around the doorknob and yanked it open, revealing Bella, smiling shyly. Looking at her, I knew just how much I'd missed seeing her face, how miserable I'd been without her. She was the most beautiful creature I'd ever seen. Why had it taken me this long to realize this? Maybe I'd known subconsciously all along.

"Hi," I breathed, staring at her without consequence. And in that moment, I forgot everything. I forgot that we'd fought, I forgot that there was someone else in the apartment, I forgot to even breathe. It was just her and me.

"Hi," she said back, toying with the hem of her shirt. "Um…I'm sorry for talking your ear off. I just didn't think you'd open the door."

I frowned. How could she think I wouldn't open the door for her? I'd open a thousand doors if it meant I'd get to see her expressive eyes staring back into mine. "Why?" I asked curiously.

"Well...because of our conversation on the phone," she answered, and her eyes bored into mine. "Edward, I'm so sorry. You have to know, everything I said to you about Jasper and not wanting you to call me again was a lie. I didn't mean any of it."

I exhaled shakily, absorbing her words fully. She didn't want Jasper. She was here…with me. She wanted _me_. How could I have been so stupid not to have realized this? The first thing I'd done was try to be with someone else when I knew that I belonged to her. Only her.

My fingers twitched, and I reached towards her, pulling her into my chest, wanting desperately to hold her and never let go. I wrapped my arms around her and held onto her body for dear life. God, it was good to have her here. How could I have been so fucking stupid and thought I didn't need this? I did. I knew now, I couldn't be without her again.

I brushed my nose against her ear and closed my eyes, breathing her in. "Bella, I'm so fucking sorry," I whispered. "I'm…_fuck._" I was a stupid fucking dickhead. Having Bella with me like this was ten times more satisfying than any woman I'd ever fucked. "I fucking messed up." I didn't realize I'd voiced my admission out loud, but I was glad that I was aware of what a tool I'd been. "I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions about you and him, but shit…I hate that motherfucker for what he did to you." It was true. Any guy who could hurt Bella the way Jasper had, didn't deserve to fucking live.

"I need to tell you something about that," she uttered, pulling back marginally, which was all too far away from me. "Jasper…we—"

I silenced her by telling her to stop, and then rubbed my nose against hers, wanting her to know how much I cared for her and believed her. "I trust you, Bella. Completely. It's me I haven't trusted. I've been so confused about everything. Our conversation was a real eye opener." I placed my hands on the sides of her face. I couldn't stop touching her, and I didn't want to. I knew I had to be honest with her, and with myself, too. "I want to be with you. Only you. I really like you, Bella. For everything you are. I know that for certain now." And I did. It was too late. I was hers.

I wasn't sure why, but she began to cry quietly. The sight just about killed me. Had I said something wrong? I couldn't live with myself to know that I'd hurt her.

I wiped her tears away with my thumb and begged her not to cry. In that instant, I needed her to know just how much I felt for her. I leaned in and brushed her lips with my own, my mind flooding with her sweet scent. She opened her mouth to me, allowing me in. I took advantage, throwing myself into the kiss, proving to us both that she was all I needed in my life.

Before I knew what was happening, I began to feel that familiar onslaught of lust taking over my body. I became hard, envisioning her beneath me in my bed, her hands caressing my back as I made her mine—No. I couldn't do this. Not this way. Not like this, and especially not now. I released her lips and rested my forehead against hers, trying to catch my breath. "We need to stop," I urged. "I want you, Bella, but I want to take our time."

She pulled back a little and smiled, then began to kiss up my neck. "How honorable of you, sir."

_You have no idea…_

"I know."

She dropped her arms from around me, and I frowned, but this was for the best. I wanted to build a relationship with her, and sleeping with her would be the opposite of that. I grabbed her hands and kissed her knuckles one by one, letting her know that I appreciated her for understanding.

Her wide smile warmed my heart, and I made a mental note to make sure I made her smile like that every day. "I have some stuff I need to tell you," she spoke. "Can I come in?"

Like a full on collision, I was wrenched back into reality and the severity of this situation. She wanted to come in…into my apartment…where there was currently a woman hiding in my bedroom closet. How had I managed to forget that? _Probably because you were too busy sucking Bella's face and confessing your feelings for her_. Oh, right.

Of course, my mouth, which hadn't had a problem assaulting her, seemed to have an issue articulating words. But I was finally able to voice that maybe it was better if we went to her place instead. That way, Irina could casually slip out of my apartment while we were on our merry way to Bella's apartment. But she had to be her usual stubborn self and demand to stay here, and then mosey on in. Then came my freak out mode, which seemed to be coming out more frequently since I'd met her. I made up some lousy excuse that the place was a mess, even though I knew it wasn't. Did I really think she was that dumb? In that moment, I prayed to every single God out there that she was, but I knew by her expression that she picked up on things quickly. Why couldn't I have liked a dumbass?

Meanwhile, she was stepping closer and closer to the vicinity of my bedroom, and I hoped that Irina didn't fucking sneeze or something. That would've been awful. I was glad now that the apartment was clean and there wasn't dust or some shit flying around everywhere. And if things couldn't get any worse, my phone had to go and ring. Who the fuck would be calling me? And as soon as I pulled my cell out of my pocket, I groaned. _Oh, yeah…Emmett. _But when I saw the text message he left, I was thoroughly confused, temporarily putting a damper on my current worries.

_**I knew this shit would come back to haunt us. Call me right now.  
-Emmett**_

Too many things were going on at once, and I was a fucking bad multitasker, but I knew that Emmett hardly asked me to call him this urgently.

"I have to make a phone call," I told Bella warily, and decided to try one last attempt at getting her out of here. "Maybe we could just go—"

"No," she said stoically, and I knew the discussion of us leaving was done. She told me to make the phone call and we could talk after about whatever it was she felt she needed to say. Even though I felt uneasy, my control on the situation was slipping, and before I could continue to coerce her out of my apartment, my phone rang again, and this time, I knew Emmett was serious.

_**Did you not get my text? If you're wondering,  
this involves your little friend, Gianna.  
-Emmett**_

"Fuck!" I cursed loudly, causing Bella to jump. I looked at her because I didn't want to scare her, but I didn't want to tell her what was going on.

Why the fuck did Gianna have to pop up and pull this crap right this moment? If it was what I thought it was, I was in deep shit and needed to fix this immediately. I felt like karma was biting me in the ass or something. Things couldn't get any worse than right now.

"Can you just please stay here? Don't move, okay?" I asked Bella, who was looking at me like I had sprung two heads. I wished I had, because maybe one head could keep tabs on Bella while the other figured out what the fuck I was going to do about Gianna.

Bella agreed, and a minor sense of relief washed over me. I hesitated to leave her, but I finally got my feet moving and over to the front door. I opened it and went into the hallway where I pulled out my phone and dialed Emmett's cell.

"Took you fucking long enough, bro. I was going to come down there and slaughter your ass in a minute," Emmett chided.

"Yeah, well, I can only handle one goddamn crisis at a time," I blurted.

"What?" he questioned.

"Never mind," I muttered. "What's happening?"

"When I went to the club this morning, there was a guy standing outside the front doors. Long story short—Gianna filed sexual harassment charges against the club."

"Against the _club_?" I yelled. "God, I had a feeling when I saw your text that she did something like this, but I figured it was against me, not the club."

"Yeah, well, you should've known better," Emmett said.

"Known better?" I questioned haughtily. "She put the moves on _me,_ Em. What exactly should I have known better?"

"The way you handled her afterwards. She threatened you with this and you didn't take it seriously. You just rode off her threat like it was nothing, but now, look what's happening."

"How was I supposed to know she would file a lawsuit?"

Emmett sighed heavily and didn't speak for a moment. "Look, I'm going to call our lawyer and see what I can do. Can you come over here?"

I turned around and stared at the door, knowing Bella was inside. "I can't. Just take care of it and I'll talk to you later."

"This is your shit, Edward. You should be doing this, not me," he scolded.

"Then I'll owe you. Just do it." With that, I hung up and turned off my phone. I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts of this fucked up shit, and then I opened my front door.

As soon as I stepped into the apartment, I felt something was off. First of all, Bella wasn't in the living room where I had left her and _told_ her to stay. Second of all, the balcony door was wide open, a strong draft flowing in. Third of all, and what was now causing my body to go rigid, was the fact that my bedroom door was ajar, as well.

"Bella?" I called hesitantly.

A million questions ran through my dizzy head. Was she in my room? Did she find Irina? Was this the end for us? Would she forgive me for being a fucking idiot?

The apartment remained silent, except for the loud cars driving by outside. I walked over to the balcony door and shut it when I saw that no one was out there. Then I turned and made my way to the bedroom. The door was only open a smidgen, so I couldn't see if Bella was in there. When I grabbed the knob and pulled, I analyzed my bedroom.

She wasn't here.

I wasn't sure whether to be relieved or saddened. If she wasn't here, then where was she? She couldn't have left the apartment through the front door, I would've seen her. In that moment, I remembered Irina, and I practically sprinted to the closet door. I yanked it open and—

What the fuck?

Irina wasn't here, either.

Okay, what the hell was going on? Had Irina escaped somehow? Was that why the balcony door was open? But that didn't explain Bella's disappearance. Either way, I was alone in my apartment, and I was concerned—no, _paranoid_—that Bella had found Irina.

I reached into my back pocket for my phone. I was going to call Bella and see where she was and ask how she'd managed to pull a Houdini out of my apartment. Hopefully she'd let me explain if she did, in fact, see a woman in my closet.

Before I could wrap my fingers around my cell phone, the bathroom door suddenly flew open, and out waltzed the only woman I wanted here. She looked flustered. Was she mad at me?

I completely froze in my spot, standing right in front of the opened closet. "Bella," I gasped in surprise.

She stopped, now aware that I was in the room, and her eyes locked with mine. I tried to decipher what she was thinking, but I couldn't. Her expression was unreadable, blank.

She looked over her shoulder inside the bathroom and then back at me. "Oh, I hope you don't mind. I used your bathroom," she said flatly.

I furrowed my brow. "No…I don't mind," I spoke softly.

She blinked a few times and then pursed her lips. "Why are you standing in front of the closet?" she asked curiously.

"I…I," I stuttered, and then raised an eyebrow. Bella was acting as if nothing had happened. Did that mean she hadn't found Irina? I was sure that if she had, she definitely would've reacted much more harshly, rather than almost the same as when I left her to make a phone call. So, maybe Irina had managed to get out without being seen. Did God actually like me now? I should probably suck up to him in the future. Maybe more things would go my way like this.

A small smile broke out across Bella's beautiful face. "I, I?" she questioned. "Are you a pirate?"

I snorted, and shut the closet door, feeling relieved that I wasn't in deep shit with her. "I'll be anything you want me to be," I said playfully with a hint of lust in my tone, and walked over to her. I grabbed her hands and entwined my fingers with hers.

She smirked up at me and grasped on tighter to my hands. "I missed you," she whispered.

My heart warmed and I couldn't help the cheesy grin that her words caused. "Same here," I admitted honestly.

She sighed quietly. "Is everything okay?" she asked. "You seemed distressed with the phone call."

I groaned. "Yeah, sorry about that. Just club stuff. Emmett is handling it."

She looked down at the floor timidly, rocking back and forth on her feet. "So…you don't have to go, then?"

I let go of one of her hands and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. "No, you?"

She shook her head and her eyes found mine again. They were dark and I could see a whirlwind of emotions behind them, but couldn't pinpoint what they were. She took a step back and tugged on my hand to step with her. A coy smile played on her lips and she took another step back towards my bed. I cocked my head to side, wondering what she was doing, but followed her lead, nonetheless. She sat gingerly on my bed, keeping her fingers entangled with mine. I sat down next to her, not bothering to put any distance between our bodies.

Without much warning, she leaned into me and firmly pressed her lips against mine. I reacted immediately, groaning against her mouth. I let go of her hand and snaked my fingers into her hair, cradling the back of her head. Her warm tongue swept across my bottom lip, asking for entrance. I parted my lips and allowed her tongue to invade my mouth willingly. I swallowed her quiet moans, loving the sexy sounds she was making. My cock was completely at attention. As hard as I tried to ignore it, it was becoming painful, especially as our breathing picked up. Her lips began to move much quicker, and I was having a hard time keeping up, to be honest. She dug her fingers hard into my chest, and sucked on my bottom lip, pulling on it a bit with her teeth. God, she was so fucking sexy.

Our make out session was quickly leading to something else as our bodies began to lower down to the mattress. A strong wave of lust crashed over me, and I rolled my upper body on top of her, keeping our torsos away from each other, and our legs hanging off the bed. I broke away from her fiercely moving lips and kissed down her jaw towards the hollow of her throat. My hips ached to rest against hers to gain some friction, but I knew what would happen then, and I couldn't risk it. I'd told her earlier that we should wait, and I was going to do it.

"Edward," she panted softly.

_Fuck…I'm going to fucking need a chastity belt to keep my dick away from her. _

She gripped onto my shirt as I began to lick and suck on her neck.

"Edward," she moaned again, and I hummed against her neck, loving her saying my name. "Edward." Her tone was now sharp. I stopped my ministrations on her neck and pulled back reluctantly to look into her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She brought a hand up and rested the back of it on her forehead. Her face was flushed, and she sighed heavily. "Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why are you apologizing?"

She hesitated to reply for a few moments. "I'm sort of tired," she admitted.

I caressed her arm soothingly. "Do you want to sleep?"

She looked away for a second and then back to me. "Will you sleep with me, too?"

After all that had happened today emotionally, I knew I could easily fall asleep if I laid down properly, but I was more concerned for her. She did look exhausted. Her eyes were half hooded and her face looked paler than usual.

Without answering her, I reached up and pulled the covers down. I got on my knees and hooked one arm under her thighs and the other under her back, then lifted her small body, cradling her to my chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked, giggling, and hooked her arms around my neck. "I can get into the bed myself, you know."

I set my feet on the ground and walked us over to the other side of the bed. "Maybe I just want an excuse to have your body close to mine," I said with a smile. I placed her down on the mattress and made sure her head was centered on the pillow. She wiggled her body, getting comfortable, and I climbed over her to settle down next to her.

Once I slid under the covers, I brought it up to our chests, both of our arms resting above it. I lay on my side, facing her, while she stared up at the ceiling, a contented look on her face. I couldn't help but bring my hand up to rub her pink cheeks with my fingertips. When I did, she turned her head to look at me, her eyes sparkling with the afternoon sun peeking through my bedroom window.

"Are you comfortable?" I asked.

She turned her body and moved closer to me, the tips of our noses barely touching. Her hand found mine over the covers, and we laced our fingers together.

"Now I am," she whispered, and closed her eyes. She sighed deeply, her sweet breath fanning across my face. I watched as her expression relaxed and her breathing evened out. Her full lips parted slightly and her chest rose steadily. I wasn't sure how long I watched her, but I found my eyes beginning to shut on their own accord.

The last thing I felt were her fingers grasping mine tighter.

The last thing I heard was her whispering my name under her breath.

The last thing I saw was her beautiful face an inch from my own.

X-X-X-X

My eyes fluttered open into a room of darkness, except for the glow of the moon subtly illuminating my bed. My fingers felt cold and bare, and I realized I wasn't holding Bella's hand anymore. I turned my head to see if she was still here. My tired eyes adjusted and focused on the back of her. She was facing away, the covers completely off her body. I sat up on my elbow and saw that her eyes were wide open. She was staring at the window, blinking every few seconds. I moved closer to her and brushed the hair away from her neck. She shivered at the contact, but didn't say anything or move her head in acknowledgment. Leaning down, I wrapped my arm around her stomach and kissed her smooth neck lightly.

"Why are you awake?" I whispered into her ear.

"Couldn't sleep," she said, and turned her head to look up at me. I placed a chaste kiss on her fleshy cheek and then another one on the corner of her eye. "What time is it?"

I was about to look over my shoulder to see what time it said on my alarm clock, but then stopped myself. "Does it matter?" I asked.

Her eyes flickered away. "No," she said quietly, and then flipped around, nuzzling her face into my chest. I brought her closer to me and made myself comfortable, resting my head against the pillow she had been using.

I began to slowly rub circles on her back, hugging her body close to mine. I loved how soft and warm she felt against me, how much I craved to have her like this every day and night. For the first time in my life, I wanted to wake up to the same body against mine over and over again. I'd never felt closer to someone in my life than I did now.

"Can you keep rubbing my back?" Bella asked, her voice but a tiny whisper. I realized my hand had faltered its movement, and I resumed stroking her, until I felt her breathing grow steady along with my own.

When I opened my eyes again, rays of sunlight were shining brightly into my room. I closed my eyelids and brought my hands up to rub my sleepy eyes. It was then that I noticed that there was no one in my arms like how I'd remembered falling asleep. I opened my eyes again and saw immediately that Bella wasn't next to me. I looked over my shoulder, noticing all the room on the other side of the bed, and saw she wasn't there, either. I massaged the back of my stiff neck with one hand and then sat up. My bedroom was empty and I wondered if she was in the bathroom, but I saw that the door was slightly open, which meant she wasn't.

I turned to look at the time. _9:45 a.m_. It was then that I caught sight of a piece of paper next to my alarm. I reached over, stretching my arm as far as I could, and grabbed it.

_**Edward, **_

_**I went back to my apartment early this morning. I didn't want to disturb you. Thanks for letting me sleep over. **_

_**I'll miss you until I see you,  
Bella**_

I smiled to myself and looked around as if someone would see how happy I was. Maybe I _wanted_ someone to see. A small part of me was a bit disheartened that I didn't get to wake up to her in my arms this morning, but I was just glad that I got to hold her all night.

I pulled the covers off me and stood, stretching my arms over my head. My body was feeling sore from wearing my clothes from the night before, and I realized that I'd slept with my cell phone in my back pocket. If I hadn't been so busy enjoying Bella in my bed, I probably would've noticed the big hunk of plastic digging into my ass all night.

Running my fingers through my hair, I made my way over to my door and opened it. When I stepped into the living room, I was overwhelmed by the sight of Emmett in just a pair of briefs, watching TV. His legs were wide open, and if he moved a fraction of an inch, I'd probably see his hairy balls. I wrinkled my nose up in disgust and went into the kitchen.

"Still dressed in the same clothes as yesterday," I heard Emmett remark quietly to himself. "If I were to guess, I'd say little Eddie had a sleep over."

I opened the fridge, pulled out a carton of milk, and uncapped the top. "Are you talking to your imaginary friends again?" I asked, annoyed. I set the milk down and then went over to the pantry. I pulled open the door and took out the Cap'n Crunch.

"Girly things everywhere, taking up my space," he continued grumbling to himself.

I poured the cereal into a bowl and then the milk. "What are you going on about?" I questioned. Did he hit his head or something?

He didn't answer, and I assumed he shut up, so I went on with fixing my breakfast. I grabbed a spoon out of our messy utensil drawer and flopped it into the bowl.

"Hope you weren't looking for these," I heard Emmett say, but his voice was much closer.

I turned around and saw his half naked self leaning up against the kitchen wall, holding…two purses…?

I took a bite of my cereal. "I didn't know you were starting a purse collection," I said sheepishly through crunching.

He set them both down on the counter. "I found one in the pantry this morning, and the other on the couch."

I furrowed my brow, and then it hit me. I had stuffed Irina's black purse in the pantry yesterday. However, I had no idea who the other purse belonged to.

"Should I be looking for more purses?" he asked with an arched eyebrow.

I slurped the milk off my spoon. "No, you're good."

"So, whose are they?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders, not offering him any information.

"Well," he said, looking down at the purse that was purple, "I know who this one belongs to."

I set my bowl down in the sink. "Who?"

He reached into the purse and pulled out a Polaroid picture, then stuck it out in front of me to take. I grabbed it and saw Bella with a small smile on her face, wrapped up in…Jasper's arms.

"So, Bella spent the night?" Emmett questioned.

I flared my nostrils, still staring at the picture. I had no clue when this was taken, but I never wanted to see it again. Ever. I ripped the picture in half and stuffed it deep into the garbage.

"Whoa," Emmett said. "I think Bella won't be too happy to know you just ripped up a picture of her and her boyfriend."

I flashed him a vicious glare. "He is _not_ her boyfriend."

He snorted and raised his hands up in surrender. "Ex-boyfriend. My bad." He crossed his arms over his bare chest. "Are you going to answer my question? Did she spend the night or not?"

I matched his stance, only I was wearing clothes. "Yeah, so?"

He rolled his eyes. "Why are you so defensive about it? It's just a question."

I dropped my hands and moved past him. I grabbed Bella's purse and took it with me into the living room. I was tempted to look inside, but thought better of it. Last thing I wanted to find were more little Polaroid pictures like that.

"And what about that other purse?" Emmett inquired, following me. "Do I even want to know who else was here?"

I sat down on the couch and set Bella's purse down next to me. "No, probably not," I said honestly. Since I knew his mouth was the size of Texas, the last thing I wanted was for him to tell his girlfriend that Irina was here, and for it to get back to my girlfriend—

Girlfriend…was that what Bella was to me now?

"Let me guess," he said, amused. "One of the KIT girls?"

"It's really none of your business," I said in reply, hoping he'd drop the matter.

He hummed quietly. "None of my business," he mused. "Speaking of business, you're welcome for saving your ass yesterday. Gianna won't be a problem anymore."

"What did you do?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Paid her off."

I snorted. "Figures…"

"So, the charges are dropped."

"That was all you did? Offer her money?" I questioned.

"Well, I offered to give her a referral for when she starts to look for work, but she said she already got a job," he said with a shrug.

I raised an eyebrow. "That quick?" I questioned suspiciously. "It's only been a few days since she stopped working for us."

"Yeah, I thought it was odd, too, but whatever. She's off our backs. So, next time you want to fire someone, do it with a bit more class, please," he chastised.

"Whatever," I muttered, and turned to stare at the news on the TV.

"And, like you said yesterday, you owe me…_big time_."

"Yeah, I hear ya," I said, brushing him off.

"No, I mean it. This means that whatever I want, you'll have to do, no questions asked," he explained.

I knitted my eyebrows together and cast him a sideways glance. "That's ridiculous."

The corners of his mouth turned up into a smug smirk. "Those are the rules."

I huffed, grabbed Bella's purse, and stood. "As long as you don't make me eat cow shit, that's fine," I said, and began to make my way to my room.

"Hey, wait," Emmett called to my retreating back. I stopped and turned as I reached my bedroom door. "Are you and Bella okay now?"

I nodded with a small smile. "Better than okay, I think."

His expression softened and he matched my smile. "That's good to hear," he said. "So, you're going to try the whole relationship thing?"

I shrugged. I knew I wanted to be in a relationship with Bella, but we hadn't really talked about what exactly we were to each other. I was already starting to think of her as my girlfriend, but what was I to her?

"Well, it's Friday, you know," he acknowledged.

I raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so?" I questioned.

"Isn't today supposed to be when you start all your little games with your new catch of the week?"

I chuckled. "Today," I started, "I'm hoping Bella will let me take her to dinner."

He let out a loud laugh, echoing throughout the living room. "You're whipped, bro," he said.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him, entering my bedroom. I placed Bella's purse on my bed, and went into my bathroom to get showered and changed. The first thing I was going to do today was go to Bella's apartment. I didn't think I could stand not being able to see her until later if she decided to go out with me to dinner. I hoped with every part of me that by tonight, Bella would officially be my girlfriend.

* * *

**A/N: **

**A lot happened this chapter…I guess like every other chapter…but I don't expect you to understand most of it. Are you liking this change in Edward? Think it will be short lived? What about Bella? What's up with her?**

**I'm offering up a teaser for the next chapter if you review, since this chapter is split into two parts. So, review if you want to see a snippet of what will occur in the next part. **

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**Haven't done any recs for a while, so here are some: **

**_Love in My Box_ by cosmoandmarvar**  
**-There are lots of funny fics out there, but this has been the only one to actually make me laugh out loud. This story about Bella and a slightly geeky Edward falling in love through e-mails is a must read. His failed attempts at trying to understand UrbanDictionary . com get me every time.  
**

**_Irreconcilable Differences_ by AnonySwan & AnonyCullen  
-The most cold-hearted Edward I've ever come across in fan fiction. Love this story so much. **

**_For the Summer_ by camoozle  
-Before every single update, I pretty much have a breakdown because each chapter is just one summer of Edward and Bella's rocky relationship over a span of several years starting from their childhood to adulthood. It's so well written, though.  
**


	19. Inferno: Part Two

**A/N:**

**Thanks to those that reviewed the last chapter, even though you all were confused. Though, if you asked questions, I tried my best to answer. If you didn't get a teaser for the chapter, it was most likely because you left an anonymous review, and I can't reply to those unless you sign in. **

**Lindz26 is my beta. She is the best. **

**This chapter is a bit shorter than the last few, but it gets the job done.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward accepts his emotional desires for Bella and wants to work on a relationship.

* * *

**

**~*INFERNO - PART TWO*~  
*EDWARD***

Before going to Bella's apartment, I decided to quickly drop by the club, just to make sure everything was in working order. My mind had been otherwise distracted lately, and Satyr hadn't been at the top of my list of priorities, which made me feel like a negligent parent, in all honesty. But I couldn't regret the change. Bella was important to me now.

A few of my employees were already there, cleaning the floors, making sure everything was in order for the usual Friday night. I bypassed them all and went into my office. The desk was an absolute mess and I cursed Emmett for being such a goddamn slob. I gathered the scattered bills and placed them at the top corner of the desk, then sat down at the computer to check my emails. There wasn't anything except a few junk emails. I'd sent an email to Touch&Go after that stupid Testosterone Tuesday, but I hadn't heard back. I guessed that the ninnies had finally realized it was best not to mess with me, and I took pride in that.

I clicked out of my email and stood up to leave when the door flew open and Angela came trotting in, her eyes downcast. She looked up in surprise when she saw me.

"Oh, uh, sorry," she mumbled. "I didn't think anyone would be here." She walked up to the desk. "I just need to get the scheduler, and I'll be out of your hair."

I raised an eyebrow and handed her the scheduler, saving her the trouble of reaching for it. "I'm leaving in a second, anyway. You can stay here and do whatever you need to," I offered with a shrug.

She shifted her eyes away and then flipped through the scheduler with a frown on her face. "Sir, I know this coming Sunday is important, but I won't be able to—"

"Angela!" I snapped, cutting her off in agitation. "How many times do I have to tell you to call me _Edward_?"

She looked at me in fright, her bottom lip beginning to quiver. Her eyes welled up with tears and her shoulders slumped. She suddenly burst out into hysterical sobs, not bothering to restrain her wailing and wheezing.

I stood there in shock, baffled at her sudden outcry. We both remained in our spots, neither one speaking while she carried on. What the hell was I supposed to do? Was she crying because I told her to call me by my name? Sometimes women were so goddamn sensitive.

I cleared my throat. "You can call me sir, I don't mind…" I assured hesitantly.

She flung her arms up in the air. "No!" she yelled angrily, and then looked at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, sir—" She screwed her eyes shut and slapped her forehead in frustration. "I mean, Edward." Her sobs grew louder. "I'm such an idiot!"

I walked over to her and awkwardly patted her on the back, trying to soothe her, because she _was_ sort of acting like an idiot. "There, there," I cooed. Wasn't that what people said when they wanted to console someone?

'I'm sorry for breaking down like this. I'm not crying because of you," she admitted through her blubbering.

I grabbed a box of tissues off the desk and held them out for her. "So, what's wrong?"

She grabbed one tissue, but didn't use it. "I came home yesterday to find some frizzy haired bimbo with her mouth on my fiancé!" she exclaimed, and grabbed four more tissues. She blew her nose loudly. To be honest, it sounded like a moose having sex… not that I had ever experienced that sound while watching the _National Geographic Channel_ or anything…

"Oh, uh," I fumbled uncomfortably, and scratched the back of my neck. "I'm sorry."

It didn't escape my notice that had this been a week ago, I most likely would've jumped at the chance to console Angela the way I was used to. The way I normally did. Angela would've been the perfect catch for me to use for my own selfish needs. She was heartbroken, vulnerable, everything I looked for in a woman on a week to week basis. But I wasn't like that anymore. Bella's face had become a permanent fixture in my head, and I couldn't see anyone but her.

Tears streamed down Angela's cheeks and onto her shirt. She shook her head and began to take tissue after tissue. "It's not your fault, sir—EDWARD!" she yelled, correcting herself, and sobbed louder as she continued grabbing more tissues. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I kicked Benjamin out straight away and now I have to pay for the rent all by myself and I don't have nearly enough money for that."

My eyes grew wide and I stiffened slightly. I remembered Tanya saying she was with a guy named Benjamin yesterday. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting to upset Angela further. She blew her nose with the twenty tissues in her hand and then reached inside the tissue box for more, but it was empty. She moaned and cried harder.

"Now you don't have any tissues left," she announced hysterically, and set her snotty tissues on the desk. She grabbed a pen and flipped through the scheduler, then wrote something down. "Buy…tissues."

"Angela, you don't need to write that down in there. That's reserved for bookings and events."

She hung her head and tossed the pen on the desk. "I can't do anything right!" she wailed.

I shifted on my feet awkwardly, and then patted her back again. "There, there…"

"And on top of not being able to pay the rent, I have my cousin's wedding I have to go to this weekend and Ben was supposed to be my date and now he's not going to be my date because he's probably getting daily blowjobs from that tramp," she said all in one breath. "When I see my cousin getting married, I'll be reminded that I'm going to end up alone like my eighty-two year old neighbor named Myrtle with a lazy eye whose fiancé died in Vietnam and now she lives by herself with three goldfish named Moe, Larry, and Curly." She paused to take an exaggerated breath. "That's going to be me!"

"No, that won't be you," I assured, not knowing what else to say.

"It will be!" she shouted, completely beside herself, and began to cry again. "At least her fiancé died in the war. If only Ben could've died in Vietnam. It would've been so much easier losing him like that than to some _slut_ who can deep throat." She sniffled, and I wrinkled my nose. She had a lot of snot up there. "Why can't there be a draft or something? Then Ben can go and die, and I'd lose him honorably." She sobbed and wiped her nose with her arm. At this point, she was a bit maniacal. She grabbed the pen off the desk again and wrote in the scheduler. "Write…to…Obama…"

I grabbed the pen and scheduler out of her hands and set them far away from her on the desk. "Why don't you take this weekend off," I suggested. "Go to that wedding and have a good time." I nudged her shoulder playfully. "Maybe you'll meet a guy." She broke down again and threw herself on top of the desk dramatically. "Or…maybe not?"

She spread her arms out, knocking the bills off the desk and onto the floor. This seemed to upset her even more and I decided I needed to get out of here…_fast_. "Um, so, yeah," I started hesitantly, "you take the weekend off and just get yourself together." Still bent over the desk, she let out a strangled sob. "Actually...why don't you take off next week, and when you get back, we'll work on getting you a raise so you can pay your rent." She didn't seem to hear me through her wailing, so I began to take tentative steps backwards and out of the office.

I shut the door once I was out, muffling her cries. I noticed my employees standing around with confusion marring their expressions. I told them to get back to work, and then left the club, shaking my head. Women were so weird.

Ten minutes later, I was stepping up to Bella's apartment, holding her purse in one hand, knocking anxiously on her door with the other. I grasped on tighter to her purse and waited. I had been tempted a few times to look inside, just to see what she kept in there, but then I decided against it. It was probably just a bunch of girly shit, anyway.

After a few seconds, the door opened to reveal Alice. I smiled at her, but she didn't return it. "Edward," she greeted dryly, and looked down at the purse, "what are you doing here?"

"Is Bella home?" I questioned. "She left her purse at my place and I just wanted to give it back to her." _And make out with her._

"She's actually not here. She went to the gym with Rose." She reached out and took the purse from me a little more roughly than I would've imagined from her. "I'll make sure to give this to her, though, okay?"

I nodded. "When will she be back?" I inquired. She shrugged, and didn't answer. She merely stared at me with a blank expression. "Will she be home later?"

"She might," she answered cryptically. "Why? Do you need to talk to her?"

"I wanted to take her to dinner," I admitted.

Alice suddenly smiled, but it was sort of smug, and I wondered what was up with her. "Oh, right…_dinner_." She laughed. "Yeah, you should totally come at around six."

I raised an eyebrow. "Maybe I should just call her—" I began to say before she cut me off.

"No, it can be like a surprise," she said pointedly. "Make sure to get her flowers, too."

Was Bella the type of woman that liked flowers? I had no clue. I had a lot to learn about her. "What sort of flowers does she like?"

"Casablanca lilies," Alice answered.

I had no idea what those looked like, but it was nice to know…for future reference. "Okay, thanks."

We said our goodbyes and I left to go home. I briefly tossed up the idea of making an appearance at the gym, just to see Bella earlier than I planned, but I decided against it because that was bordering on desperate, and maybe a bit possessive, too. Though, I couldn't help but picture her sweating, half naked, while jogging on the treadmill. Then I realized that tons of guys would see her like that, and that just pissed me off. I was the only one that should see her half naked and sweating, preferably just naked and sweating. Maybe I really was becoming possessive of her. Was I going to be one of _those _boyfriends? The ones that kept track of their girls every second to make sure other guys weren't leering at them?

_Yep._

X-X-X-X

The rest of the day went by quickly, and when it got close to six in the evening, I threw on a leather jacket I hadn't worn in a while and went over to the florist to get Casablanca lilies. The shopkeeper lady droned on about how sweet and thoughtful I was because I was getting flowers for a girl. Apparently, she said chivalry was dead these days. I'd always been chivalrous with Bella, but she never really seemed to notice, and I wasn't sure why. The shopkeeper then asked me if I was in love, and I nearly choked on my own spit. I'd just met Bella last week, and she wasn't even technically my girlfriend yet. I was definitely not in love. But even so, how was I supposed to know when I would be in love? I'd never felt that emotion before towards a girl I'd dated. Was I supposed to feel any different than I did now? And why wasn't the thought of it scary in the least?

The shopkeeper suggested I also get Bella another gift along with the flowers, so before heading over to Bella's apartment, I stopped off and got her something I'd had in mind to buy her for a while.

For the second time today, I walked up to Bella's door, grasping onto her bouquet of flowers while her gift rested, unseen, in my pocket. I knocked on the door and waited. I wondered if Bella would be happy to see me. I hoped she would be. There was nothing I wanted more than to see her smile for me. Would she like that I got her flowers, as well? When I heard footsteps behind the door growing louder, my heart began to race with the knowledge that it could be Bella that opened the door. But when it was Alice again, my furiously beating heart slowed to a snail's pace.

"Edward," she greeted jovially, a one-eighty from earlier. She looked down at the flowers in my hand and one corner of her mouth turned up. "You brought flowers."

"Yeah," I said, and then tried to look around her to see if I could catch a glimpse of Bella. "Is she here?"

Alice turned around and started to walk further inside. "Why don't you come in," she offered. I followed her and shut the door behind me. She grabbed the bouquet out of my hands and disappeared into the kitchen, humming something quietly.

As I sat down on the couch, I eyed Bella's closed bedroom door. Was she in there right now? I wanted to get up and walk into her room, but I didn't think she would appreciate that. During my adolescence, I knew from experience never to walk into a woman's bedroom without fair warning, especially when I once walked in on my mother doing inappropriate things to my father's junk. Not that Bella would be doing that…She better not be!

"So, how are you?" I asked Alice after a while, making mundane small talk.

"I'm good," she called out cheerfully. "Thank you for asking."

Another minute went by of Alice in the kitchen and me sitting on the couch. I looked at the time on my phone. It was nearing half past six now and Bella still hadn't come out of her bedroom, if she was even in there.

Alice walked out of the kitchen holding a coffee cup, steam swirling around it, and then sat down in the sofa chair adjacent the couch. She crossed her legs daintily and stared at me with a smile.

"Nice jacket," she complimented.

I looked down at myself, the leather making noise as I did so. "Uh, thanks."

"You have the whole James Dean thing going on right now," she remarked, gesturing to me with her hand. "You know, the jeans and the jacket." She brought the cup up to her lips and took a long sip.

I smiled warily. "Yeah, I guess." _Where the hell is Bella?_ I was starting to get a little impatient. "So, where's Bella?"

She brought the cup down from her lips. "Oh, she's not here," she answered with a sweet smile.

I frowned instantly. "What do you mean she's not here?"

"I mean, she's not here," she repeated with a dismissive shrug. "Would you like some coffee?"

I stood as if my ass had caught on fire. "What?" I snapped.

She casually took another sip of her coffee, and then set it on the coffee table. "Did you two have something planned?" she questioned.

I knitted my eyebrows together. "I was going to take her to dinner. I told you this earlier."

"Ohhhh," she mused, and then shrugged. "I guess I forgot." She stood and walked back into the kitchen. I followed directly behind her.

_Fuck! I should've just fucking called Bella myself. Stupid forgetful roommates! _

"You _forgot_?" I asked, irritated as hell. "You forgot that I planned on surprising her and taking her to dinner, even though it was your suggestion for it to be a surprise in the first place?"

She opened the refrigerator and grabbed some sort of cake. She set it on the counter and opened a drawer, taking out a very large knife. "Do you want some cake?" she questioned, waving the knife around. "I really shouldn't be eating this because I'm trying to cut back on carbs, but when Rose bought it, I knew I wouldn't be able to stay away—"

I groaned loudly, interrupting her annoying babbling. "Alice," I barked, and her eyes flashed to mine. "Tell me where Bella is."

"She's out with a guy," she answered automatically.

My chest ceased moving as I stopped breathing, and my face grew hot when a sudden wave of anger rolled over me. "What?" I managed to rasp out in a controlled tone, but I had to make a big effort.

She pointed the knife at me. "You probably should've called her." She turned and cut into the cake. "You sure you don't want a piece?"

Bella was out with a guy. What the fuck kind of shit was she pulling? Hadn't we just made our feelings clear last night? Was it all a joke to her when she spent the night wrapped up in my arms? Maybe she didn't give a shit. I seemed to be the only one making a fucking idiot of myself.

And then it hit me.

God, how could I have been so fucking dumb? She was fucking out with Jasper! All that bullshit about how she and Jasper were just friends…it was a fucking lie! How could she do this to me?

And if I wasn't any more of a masochist, I had to try to clarify if she really was out with him. "Who is she with, Alice?" I asked calmly, feeling like I was going to boil over the edge any second.

"Ummm," she said, setting the slice of cake down on a small plate, "not sure."

"It's him, isn't it?" I asked quietly.

She licked the frosting off her fingers one by one and then cast me a sideways glance. "Who's him?"

"_Him_," I repeated, my tone rising a little. "Jasper."

Her eyes grew wide, and she looked away nervously. _FUCK!_ "I knew it!" I growled, and walked out of the kitchen. "I fucking knew it!"

I heard a bunch of clatter, and then Alice tailed after me. "Where are you going?" she questioned frantically as I reached the door.

"You can tell Bella that she just lost someone that wanted to give up _everything _he'd ever known to be with her," I said bitterly, and flung open the door. However, when I made to leave, I came face to face with a pair of surprised blue eyes. My nostrils instantly flared and my hands balled into fists at my sides.

_Fucking Jasper! _

He stood with one hand raised in a fist, as if he were about to knock, and in the other hand, he had a bouquet of sunflowers.

Alice gasped. "Jazz!" Alice exclaimed in horror. "What are you doing here?"

Before he could answer, I snatched the sunflowers out of his hand and threw it on the ground. I stepped on them once, and then fisted his shirt to drag him inside. His eyes screwed shut as I threw him hard against the wall. I rammed my forearm into his neck, pinning him in place. His face grew red and he began to choke as his supply of oxygen became cut off.

"Oh my God, oh my God! Stop!" Alice yelled, and tried to pull at my shoulders to get me away, but I was too strong.

"You fucker," I seethed to Jasper. "Come to pick her up, huh?"

His expression turned violent and he shoved against me. I stumbled back a few steps, knocking into Alice by accident.

"Alice, get out of the way," Jasper barked.

"Wait! Edward, just leave," Alice pleaded, stepping away from us.

"No!" Jasper shouted, and rolled his sleeves up, leering at me. "I'm going to take care of this asshole, once and for all."

I laughed darkly, unzipped my leather jacket, and took it off. He thought he could "take care" of me? He had another fucking thing coming. I threw my jacket at Alice, which she didn't even catch because she was too busy hyperventilating. I copied Jasper and rolled up my sleeves, as well. I glared at him while cracking my knuckles, preparing myself.

I was going to kick the shit out of Jasper.

And I was going to fucking enjoy it, too.

"Edward, Jasper," Alice said firmly, trying to garner our attention. "Cut this out right now."

We both ignored her and remained in a constant stare.

"You screwed all those girls in school and now you want to mess with Bella after all this time?" he spat.

"_Oh my God, Bella's going to kill me_," I heard Alice whisper.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" I asked him venomously. He wasn't even making any sense. "If anyone is messing with Bella, it's you!" Even though I was pissed at Bella, a huge part of me still felt like I needed to protect her from this shithead.

"Me?" he asked incredulously, rage brewing in his eyes. "She deserves someone better than you and you know it."

"What do you know of what she deserves?" I questioned with a cynical laugh. "Oh…_wait_…you think _you_ deserve her?"

Alice suddenly grabbed my jacket off the floor and pushed it into my chest. "That's enough. Leave right now," she demanded.

"Alice, stand back," Jasper ordered, not taking his eyes off me.

She hesitantly stepped away, looking between the both of us like a cocaine induced tennis match.

"And you think she hasn't taken Emily into account?" he questioned.

My eyes grew wide and my breath hitched. I clenched my fists, staring at him murderously.

"Yeah, that's right," he goaded smugly, "you thought she didn't know about that, did you?"

"You don't fucking know a thing about Emily," I ground out quietly, my throat feeling tight.

"I know enough. You screwed her and left her like all the others, the only difference with her was that you screwed her and left her for _dead_."

That was enough to set me off, and I yelled as I lunged at him full force. He slammed into the wall and grunted with the collision. He recovered quickly and maneuvered around me. He quickly shoved me forward, my face smashing into the wall. The sharp pain that resonated through my face blinded me for a few seconds, bright stars appearing in front of my eyes. Behind me, I could vaguely hear Alice screaming at us, but I didn't care. All I cared about was igniting the same pain on Jasper that he brought to Bella, only his would be physical. He held my head to the wall while the rest of his body kept me in place. I jutted my elbow out behind me, managing to hit him square in the chest. When his grip on me loosened, I spun around and punched him right in the nose, a sharp crack sounding as a result. He stumbled back, his hands flying up to his nose that was now seeping with blood. My bloody hand throbbed like a bitch, but _fuck_…it felt so fucking good to hit him. I wanted to do it again. I took a step forward to him while he was bent over in pain like the coward he was. I grabbed his shirt and brought the dickhead to stand up straight so he was eye to eye with me. I wound my arm back, getting ready to sock him, but decided to taunt him a bit before I did.

"You can't even get a decent shot at me, you useless fuck," I sneered. "That's because you're a fucking pussy. You were a pussy in school, and you're a fucking pussy now."

He clenched his teeth and grabbed my wrist, tearing it away from his shirt. Without any warning, he pushed me away forcefully, and I fell back against a glass vase that fell over and smashed on the ground, shards of broken glass flying everywhere. I was just about to rebound and punch the motherfucker in the face again, when Alice ran up to me and started smacking me repeatedly all over my chest as hard as she possibly could.

"Stop, stop, stop, stop," she chanted angrily.

I glared at her, irritated at her wasted effort at trying to hurt me, and wrapped my fingers around her wrists, getting ready to shove her away, when Jasper quickly grabbed a hold of Alice and brought her to him.

"Don't you dare touch my girlfriend!" he growled, holding Alice against his chest.

I froze, my mind still possessed with fury, but was starting to wane as it absorbed his words. I looked between Alice and Jasper, slowly connecting the dots. Did he just call Alice his girlfriend? But wasn't he with Bella again, or at least trying to fuck her? Then I remembered something Bella had said to me when I first met her.

_"I found some text messages he had been sending to some girl named Ali,"_ I vividly recalled her saying.

Ali…

…Alice…

He'd cheated on Bella with _Alice_. _Her best friend._ I observed Jasper and Alice, how intimately he was touching her, as if he cared about her. I couldn't believe the gall of him…to say such a thing in front of _me _when he knew I was dating Bella.

"Does she know?" I asked quietly, my head still in a daze, swimming with this realization.

Jasper attempted to wipe his bloody nose with the back of his hand, but it only ended up smearing. "Does who know?" he asked, his tone calmer now.

"Bella," I barked loudly. "Does Bella know?"

Jasper furrowed his brow and blinked a few times, then looked down at Alice, who stood in front of Jasper as if she were his shield, her back to his chest.

"Can you get some wet towels for Edward and me, and one dry one to wrap in ice?" he asked her softly. She quickly ran and disappeared into the closet bedroom, making sure to leave the door wide open for some reason. She came back out and threw a wet towel at me with a glare, then went up to Jasper and began to clean his face of the blood. I wiped the blood off my hand, and waited for an answer, disgusted at the sight of Alice tending to Jasper. Did she know he was trying to stick his dick in his ex-girlfriend? Was she aware that he'd cheated on Bella with her?

"Ice," Jasper said simply after Alice was done.

She shifted nervously on her feet. "We're out of ice…I'll go later and get some."

"No, go now," he said.

She shook her head and then snuck a glance at me warily. "No, I can't leave you alone with him," she whispered to him.

"Just do it, Alice," he said, annoyed now. "When do I ever ask you to do anything?"

She looked between us, then back at Jasper with worried eyes, and then she turned away. She gathered her purse and keys, and then left, but not before giving me one last scornful look.

"Alice knows something I don't," he commented once she was gone, and then I realized that she'd been trying to stop us from talking for some reason. "What did you mean by 'Does Bella know'?"

I threw the bloody rag on a table nearby and crossed my arms over my chest. "Does she know that you cheated on her with Alice?" I asked, trying to control my temper before I unleashed it on him again. The right side of his face was starting to bruise slightly, and I could surely help him out by making his left side match.

He raised an eyebrow, acting as if he was confused. He shook his head and then pinched the bridge of his nose. He flinched in pain. I smiled smugly, proud of myself for beating up his ugly ass face.

"I'm not really sure what you're talking about, but I never cheated on anyone with Alice," he said.

I laughed humorlessly. "Don't give me that. Bella told me all about how she found the text messages you sent to someone named Ali, and I just put two and two together that it was Alice you cheated on Bella with."

If possible, he looked even more confused, and I wanted to roll my eyes at the act he was trying to pull. "Wait," he said, and paused, "is this because she kissed me the other day?"

I took a threatening step toward him, the broken glass crunching underneath my shoes. "What?" I asked menacingly.

He put up his hands, trying to ward me off. "Easy there," he said. "She kissed me back at her parents' house, but something was up with her that night and I don't think she meant to…" He looked at me expectantly. "Is that what you meant?"

I was enraged that she'd kissed him, but I also was wary that he was even telling the truth. He'd been nothing but dishonest to Bella, so why wouldn't he lie now to me to save his own neck?

"That's not what I meant," I answered, a sharp bite to my tone. "When you and Bella dated—"

"Whoa," he said, interrupting me. "Bella and I never dated."

I arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I don't know where you got that, but we've never been in a relationship before," he revealed. "She's been my best friend for a long time now, but that's it."

I blinked a few times. "You're shitting me," I spat coldly, not believing him.

"Honest to God," he said. "I've liked Alice since we all went to college and we just started dating recently. I've never really even seen Bella dating anyone before, except you." He laughed. "And, I have to say, I question all the time why she's dating you. She's way too good and innocent and doesn't deserve to be run under the mill by your games."

My eyes went wide. Shit, he knew a lot more about me than I fucking realized. But my brain was working a mile a minute, trying to decipher everything, so I couldn't concentrate on just that tidbit.

"So, you're saying that you and Bella never dated before in your life," I stated, seeking clarification for my tired brain.

"Never," he assured. "I'm a little confused why you'd think that."

If Bella had never dated Jasper, then what did that mean? Had she lied all this time? Because of my feelings for her, I didn't want to think that she could do something like that, but that didn't deter from the fact that I'd always felt like she was hiding something. If this was what she wanted kept a secret, then what was the purpose of it all? Why would she lie about dating him?

"She told me you two dated," I admitted. "All this time…I thought you were her ex trying to win her back."

He scratched the back of his neck. "I'm not sure why she'd say that to you."

"Me, neither." _I think I need to have a little chat with Bella_, I thought sinisterly. Then I thought of something else. "If she's not with you tonight, who's she with?"

"She's just hanging out with Seth," he answered. "He's this kid she used to—"

"Babysit," I finished with a groan. "I know."

We stood in awkward silence for a few moments, the air thick with the sounds of our breathing. He cleared his throat softly.

"I know you like to do this…thing…with women," he started, "but can you just please leave Bella alone? I'm like her big brother, and I can't stand to see her upset."

I sighed. He looked like he really cared for her, and not at all in a romantic way. It was all so confusing. "I know you've only known me as that guy who messed around with girls, but I'm different now," I admitted honestly. "I'm not looking to screw around with Bella. I really like her, and I've been wanting to give our relationship a decent chance." I stopped, taking a deep breath. "Though, I have to be honest, I'm a little uncertain what to do now…" It was hard to figure out what my next step would be with all this knowledge. I wanted to stomp my foot, find Bella, and confront her, but I also felt a little heartbroken that she'd deceived me, and I wasn't sure I could face her right now.

"You really want to be with her?" he questioned. "No games, no manipulations? Bella deserves to be treated with respect."

I wanted to laugh. I knew I hadn't exactly been an angel in the past, but didn't _I_ deserve to be treated with respect by her, too? She'd been the only girl that affected me, that made me want to change. Of course I respected her.

"I want to be different for her," I said.

He nodded and took a few steps towards me. He stuck out his hand. "Then I can look past everything if you truly mean that."

I eyed his hand cautiously. He wanted me to shake it. I'd hated this guy from almost the moment I saw him. Would I really call a truce with him? There wasn't any reason to be angry at him anymore, but part of me still felt resentful at how close he was to Bella. Throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed his hand and shook firmly, making sure my grip was stronger than his.

"You won't tell her anything that we discussed, right?" I asked. If I spoke to Bella, I needed to be the one that revealed what Jasper and I talked about, not him.

He let go of my hand and furrowed his brow, looking as if he were deep in thought. "If you don't tell Bella, I won't tell her. She seems to keep an awful lot from me lately, and I think it's time the tables turned."

I nodded, but didn't fully understand what he meant. I looked at the door, and then back at Jasper. I just wanted to leave now and figure out what I needed to do or say, how I was going to approach this.

"I'm gonna head out," I said, and then grabbed my jacket that had been haphazardly tossed on the floor near the broken glass and sunflowers. I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Sorry about the bloody nose and stuff."

He shrugged. "Sorry about the split lip." He smiled. "And stuff," he added.

I touched my lip, not realizing it'd been damaged. It instantly stung and I winced. "Great." I chuckled. I walked over to the door and pulled it open.

"Hey," Jasper called before I left, "for what it's worth, I'm starting to believe you really do care for her. No guy would beat up another guy for a girl they were just messing around with."

I smiled weakly and then turned around, but as I began to leave, I heard the clicking of heels echoing down the hallway. I stepped out of the apartment and saw Bella walking towards me. She froze as soon as she realized I was standing not too far from her. The sight of her was something I'd wanted to witness all day. I couldn't wait to be near her, kiss her, hold her, and take her out for dinner so that I could ask her to be mine. Now, I realized…I still wanted to do all those things, but I shouldn't, because she'd lied to me.

"Edward? What are you doing here?" she questioned, a brilliant smile spreading across her gorgeous face. She was dressed casually with jeans, a thin blue blouse, and black boots, but she still managed to look elegant and beautiful.

I didn't say a word, I just merely looked at her. She began to walk towards me, and I knew I had to make a split decision. Did I confront her and ask her why she lied to me? Why she'd kept me believing she'd been with a man and had her heart broken by him? Or did I walk away to sort through all of this, to get my head together about this girl who I had yet to ever figure out.

She stepped closer and closer. Looking at her, I felt so many emotions all at once. I felt ashamed, guilty, confused, but over everything, I felt defeated. And because of that, I knew now what I had to do.

I moved around her as she neared, blocking out the sound of her sweet voice talking to me, and I walked away…

* * *

**A/N: **

**Have no fear, my dears. The anticipated BPOV is next, and we'll get into her pretty little, confusing head. Now that the Jasper secret is out, what will the effects be?  
**

**With this chapter, I'll most likely be getting to 1,000 reviews, so thank you so much for reading and contributing to the success of this cuckoo story. Although I can't respond to every single review, I do read every one and laugh at how silly you all are. With that, please continue to read because it's going to get crazier.**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**


	20. Trinity

**A/N: **

**Over 1,000 reviews. You guys are awesome. Hope this chapter answers some of your questions. **

**Beta is Lindz26. She's swell.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward got into a fight with Jasper and found out Bella was never in a relationship with him.

* * *

**

**~*TRINITY*~  
*BELLA***

"I'll have the Buffalo wings, tostado nachos, mozzarella sticks, potato skins, the chicken quesadilla…"

I rested my chin on my fist as I tuned Seth's voice out while he ordered for himself. We were currently at T.G.I. Friday's…on a Friday. How ironic. Seth demanded that we come here on our "date" and I wasn't in the mood to argue. I didn't even want to be out with this little rugrat, but I was obligated in more ways than one. First of all, and most importantly, he was blackmailing me. Second of all, he went and told his mother that we were hanging out, which meant now that I _had_ to, since she was all excited that I was spending quality time with him. But she didn't know that it wasn't "spending time." It was me going along with Seth's sneaky plot to take me out on a romantic date so that he didn't tell the guy I was dating that I wasn't who I said I was. But T.G.I. Friday's was _far_ from romantic. As soon as we came in, he took one of those coloring placemats for kids under ten. And if that wasn't bad enough, he got me one, too…with extra crayons.

"…and the baby back ribs, honey mustard chicken sandwich, Jack Daniel's burger with no mayo…"

Another reason I was here was because I really just didn't feel like being home where I'd have to confront my thoughts on the last couple of days. But even now…it was hard not to think about everything.

I'd really thought things were going to change between Edward and me. I was so damn certain. But I should've known that it was too good to be true. I kicked myself now thinking about how I threw away my entire plan, my goals, to give into the naïve feelings a woman goes through when in a relationship. I turned into _that_ girl. The whimsical, blind, impulsive, head over heels girl that I thought I'd gotten rid of in high school. How easy it was for me to slip back into that mentality. It felt so natural, so…me…and that scared the living shit out of me. I was supposed to be closed off from my emotions like I'd been my entire adulthood, not give into my petty feelings at the first opportunity.

To say I was solely surprised when I saw a half naked woman in Edward's closest was an understatement. I was bemused, befuddled, perplexed, confounded, discombobulated, and every other synonym when looking up "confused" in a thesaurus. Like I said before, I was one hundred percent sure that Edward felt the same about me, too. So, when I opened the closet door, I was merely confused. I wasn't angry, I didn't want to scream or yell. You want to know why? Because this was _Edward_. I was going to give myself over emotionally to someone that was a _womanizer_. It wasn't his fault. It was mine. This was what he did and I should've known, but I let my stupidity cloud my better judgment. If anything, I was angry at myself for thinking he would want an actual, normal relationship without all the games. Thinking about the conversation the woman and I had was enough to make me realize what an idiot I was.

"Who are you?" I asked her, trying not to stare at her almost naked lacy breasts.

"I should be asking you the same thing, honey," she answered, crossing her arms over her chest, which only squished her boobs together.

I exhaled, trying to release any sort of anger that might wash over me at any second, but it didn't come. "So, you were going to sleep with Edward?" I asked, keeping my cool.

"Well, we _were_, until you interrupted us," she snapped angrily. I wanted to laugh. She was angry because she wasn't able to have Edward's dick all up in her infested carpet, yet I was the one who should've been pissed.

So, who was she? Someone he found at a bar or something? Another conquest? Maybe she was a cheap hooker. She sure as hell looked like one.

"How do you know him?" I questioned.

"We go way back," she answered smugly.

Way back? Edward didn't go "way back" with any women except...the KIT girls. Did that mean she was one of the KIT girls Rose had told me about? God, I was so stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I should never have come here and made myself so vulnerable to him.

_Don't think about it, Bella. Just figure this shit out right now. _

"Tanya?" I questioned.

She scowled at me, looking even more pissed. "No," she replied haughtily.

Uhhh…who was the other one of the sluts? "Kate?" I asked.

She placed her hands on her hips. Her face began to turn red. "No," she barked. "I'm Irina. How many other fucking women are there?"

Oh. _Irina._ Yeah, she looked like an Irina. Slutty and half naked. "Lots," I said, and smirked. So, Edward had been lying to his three women, as well. Did he tell them individually they were the only ones he was screwing? I bet he did. Asshole.

"And are you one of his little whores, too?" she inquired.

I wanted to laugh. Did she not know that by saying "too" that she was categorizing herself as a whore, as well? But the fact that she tried to label me as one pissed me off, and now, I just wanted her the fuck out.

"No, no. I wouldn't touch Edward with a twelve foot pole," I said, then leaned in close to her to whisper. "He's got syphilis."

"What?" she asked, shocked.

"Oh," I said in mock surprise. "Did you not know? I figured he would've told you something like that."

She blinked a few times, truly looking scared now, and then her expression turned completely violent. She moved past me and into his bedroom. "I'm gonna kill him."

I quickly ran in front of her and blocked the doorway. "You can't talk to him," I said frantically. "You need to go."

"Like hell!" she exclaimed.

Thinking quickly, I decided to bribe her. "I'll give you twenty bucks if you leave right now." Yeah, I knew it was lame of me, but I was a bit desperate.

Her lips pursed in thought. "What else?" she reiterated.

I gaped at her. Holy shit, she was trying to bamboozle me! "What do you mean 'what else?' Twenty dollars is a lot!"

She chuckled. "Maybe to you, but I've got rent to pay and debts to settle. So, what else?"

"Nothing else. It's twenty bucks or nothing," I said, standing my ground.

She shrugged. "Then I guess I'll go talk to Edward," she said casually.

I sighed. "Wait, wait…" I couldn't believe I was going to go with this. "All I have in my purse is fifty dollars."

Her lips pursed again. "What else?"

"Oh, come on!" I whisper-yelled. "You can do a lot with fifty dollars." She raised an eyebrow with a cocky expression. "Fine. I'm one of the owners of Touch&Go—"

"That cute little club that just opened a few weeks ago?" she questioned, perking up.

"Yeah. I'll give you free drinks there for a month."

"Hmm," she hummed. "Two months."

I groaned. This bitch was getting on my last nerves. "Fine, two."

"And free admission," she added.

My nostrils flared and I tried not to punch her in her hookerish face. "Fine," I said through gritted teeth.

She smiled sweetly. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you." She held out her hand. "Pay up."

_Fucking bitch. _

"Stupid naked woman making me broke," I muttered, turning into the living room to get my purse. I grabbed it and shoved my hand inside to get my wallet. After I gave her the money, I threw her slutty shirt at her and told her to get out. We realized she couldn't go through the front door, so I pushed her towards the balcony. I was hoping there was a fire escape or something, but if not, I could just shove her off the balcony.

"Wait, I need my purse. All my stuff is in there," she said, just as I opened the door.

I could hear footsteps outside the front door and Edward's voice growing louder. Shit! He was coming back.

"There's no time for that! Come back later and get it," I whispered in fear, and pushed her out onto the balcony. Yep, there was a fire escape. Too bad.

"Wait, my lighter," she said, and pointed on the ground. I groaned and quickly snatched the lighter off the ground and threw it at her. "And don't you dare say a word to him about what we talked about."

She narrowed her eyes at me, but didn't move. I was just getting ready to really push her off the balcony, when the front door knob began to turn. I quickly ran into Edward's bedroom, attempting to shut the door behind, but not succeeding at all, and then sprinted into his bathroom.

I was taken out of my memory when I realized that Seth was _still_ ordering food.

"Oh, and the brownie obsession, chocolate peanut butter pie—" he continued, until I cut him off."

"Seth, that's enough," I snapped.

He wrinkled his nose at me, clearly not wanting to obey me, and I gave him a pointed look. "Fine," he grumbled, and handed his menu to the poor woman who had to stand and write all this crap down. "Oh, wait. Add the cup of dirt to the order, too."

"Seth," I moaned as if in pain, closing my eyes.

"That's from the kid's menu," the waitress noted.

"Yeah, so?" Seth spat, annoyed. "Give me extra damn gummy worms in there, as well."

The waitress just stared at Seth for a couple of seconds and then turned to me. "And what would you like?" she asked with a pleading expression, silently telling me not to put her through any more torture.

"I'll have—"

"She'll have the house salad," Seth said, cutting me off. I scowled at him. He ordered himself a bazillion meals and me just one pathetic salad. "Isn't that what women order when they go to restaurants because they don't want the man to see them being a fat slob?"

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever," I mumbled, not caring.

The waitress cleared her throat. "And what would you like to drink?" she asked us.

"I'll have a beer," Seth said.

"NO," I said quickly. "No beer. Just a coke for him and a strawberry Margarita for me, please." I looked at Seth, who placed his hand on the back of my chair. "_Extra_ tequila." I handed her my menu. She nodded as if she understood my torture, and then walked off, no doubt rejoicing in getting as far away from us as possible.

"Did you see her looking at me?" he asked me with a smirk.

"No."

"Don't worry; I only have eyes for you," he assured.

"Goody," I grumbled, and stared down at the table.

When Edward came back from his phone call, I'd tried to act like nothing had happened, that I hadn't met one of his slutty women, that I hadn't realized what a monumental moron I was. While I was in the bathroom, trying to compose myself, I'd decided that enough was enough. I needed to cut off my feelings for good with Edward and stick to what I had been doing all along with him. It was time to go into the third phase of my grand scheme of hurting him, just like he had hurt me, just like he had humiliated me. I had my work cut out for me in getting him to fall in love with me, especially after the whole Irina ordeal, but I was confident that I could do it. I just needed to infiltrate myself into his every thought. So, begrudgingly, I stayed the night with him to show him that I wasn't going anywhere, that he could trust me. I pretended to be asleep the whole time as he held me, and he quickly slipped into a deep slumber.

In the middle of the night, I wiggled out of his grasp and got up. I looked outside his bedroom window down at the darkened street illuminated by a few lights, thinking about how much I'd wanted to give myself to him before, how susceptible I was to him. I was the one that should be in control, not him. I could never, ever, allow myself to fall for Edward, because I knew it would be too easy. In high school, I wasn't in love with him. That was just a silly fanatical crush, but now, I was older, and aside from all the games and him playing women, we both got along really well. If I let myself, I knew I'd fall in love, which was why I had to cut that shit out right there, and as soon as the morning sun filtered into the room, I'd leave and get to planning on making _him_ fall in love with me. So, I got back into bed and remained awake for a while, until he woke up. He started rubbing my back gently, and soon, I was gone.

The morning time came, which meant phase three was officially on. I wrote him a note, and then left while he was still passed out. I decided to leave my purse behind, making sure to take my keys and wallet out. He'd most likely find it and want to return it to me, which gave me an automatic in to seeing him again.

When I got home, Alice and Rose immediately jumped on me, asking where I'd been and stuff. I told them everything, of course. They were livid. If they didn't dislike Edward before, they absolutely despised him now. I was, however, surprised that Alice voiced her disgust of him over Rose. Rose always hated him, so it wasn't really any different, but Alice had it in her head that he wasn't as bad as I already knew he was. Well, she knew now.

To let off some steam, I went with Rose to the gym for a few hours. It was nice not to focus on anything but my pulse beating rhythmically against my neck as I ran. When we got home, however, Alice was acting odd. There was a vase of Casablanca lilies that hadn't been there before. When I questioned who the flowers were from, she said they were from Jasper for her. I frowned, a bit jealous. I loved Casablanca lilies. But Jasper didn't know much about Alice if he got her those. She liked sunflowers. I needed to school the bozo in the art of women and flowers. I asked Alice if Edward had returned my purse, but she said he hadn't. So, the rest of the day passed by, with no call from Edward, and no sign of him whatsoever. The evening arrived, and Seth came thirty minutes early, which annoyed the hell out of me. I was barely dressed and he was trying to force me out the door, saying that he was anxious to start our date. And now…here I was.

_God help me._

Seth grabbed the crayons off the table and started coloring on his placemat. "Are you going to color?" he asked.

"No," I answered, and looked around the restaurant, bored already.

He didn't look up from his intense coloring of a little girl's head as she licked her melted ice cream cone. "That's fine. I'll just tell Cullen about your little scheme."

I groaned, picked up a blue crayon, and started coloring half assed.

"No, no," Seth scolded, and grabbed the crayon out of my hand. "You need to color _inside_ the lines."

The waitress came back with our drinks. _Hallelujah…my Margarita_. I quickly took a sip.

"So, how long are you going to mess around with Cullen?" he asked.

"For however long it takes," I replied, and took another sip, enjoying the cold slush-like liquid flowing down my throat.

"Good luck with that," he muttered, and went back to coloring.

I set my drink down. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just don't understand why you're trying to change someone who doesn't want to be changed," he said.

"That's the entire point, though."

"Then what happens after it's all over?"

I hadn't really thought of it. I was merely taking it one phase at a time. "I don't know, maybe I'll go somewhere in celebration."

"Yeah, let's go to the Bahamas. There's the Atlantis hotel there and they have really big ass water slides—"

"Not _you_," I said, cutting him off in annoyance. "Just me."

"Fine," he groaned. "But what happens then with you and Cullen?"

I sighed and ran a hand through my wavy hair. "We go our separate ways. I put everything behind me and move on." _Then go back to what I was doing before…_

Was that what I wanted? To return to my lifestyle of jumping from guy to guy? It was all I knew, so I didn't think I had much of a choice.

"Try to do that sooner than later. I'd like you all to myself," he said. "_Or_ you could just drop him now." He gave me a cheesy smile.

"Nice try," I said. "Go back to coloring on your placemat."

The rest of the date went quickly after that. Seth ate absolutely _everything_ he ordered, including some of my salad, which I barely touched. The kid was like a Hoover vacuum from those late night infomercials. Those things seemed to suck anything off the ground. It was like magic. And they'd always show you the difference between the Hoover and the bad vacuum. The female actress would be huffing and puffing while she threw her back out trying to maneuver the clunky, retro vacuum that probably wasn't even sold in stores anymore. I always rolled my eyes at that. Yet...that didn't stop me from buying one. I got free vacuum bags, too.

When I got the bill—the ridiculously, beyond expensive bill—I had to make an effort not to stab Seth with my fork. Some fucking date. I hoped whoever actually ended up with Seth would find him endearing, cause I sure as hell didn't.

He took me back to my apartment and started to get out of the car.

"What are you doing?" I questioned, unbuckling my seatbelt.

"Coming up," he answered. "_Duh_."

"No,_ you_ are going back to Leah's apartment and playing video games or whatever it is you do on a Friday night."

He waggled his eyebrows. "I'd much rather play _you_."

I groaned, and opened the car door. "Goodnight, Seth."

"Wait," he called as I was about to get out.

"What?"

He grinned. "We should do a repeat of that kiss in the car the other day."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust and got out. "Go. Home," I said pointedly, then slammed the door. I began to walk away when I heard him rolling down his window.

"You know you want me!" he yelled out from his car, then sped off.

That was it. I had to find a way to get out of this blackmailing situation. As much as I thought of Seth as my family, he was getting way too annoying for his own good. I much preferred it when I rarely saw him and could remember him as the cute little kid who watched _Bob the Builder_ religiously. Actually, I was pretty sure he still watched that.

I went into my apartment building and made it up to my floor. As I stepped out of the elevator on my way to my apartment, I stopped in my tracks when I saw Edward standing in the middle of the hallway. It was odd seeing him. I was actually relieved, especially after my night with Seth. I smiled at him, wondering if he was here to return my purse. I asked him what he was doing here, but he didn't respond. He was just staring at me. When I got closer, I noticed his face was a bit bashed up. He had a split lip. My smile instantly fell.

"My God…Edward, what happened to you?" I asked, stopping right in front of him. He continued to stare at me, not answering my question. His hair was even more messed up than it normally was and his clothes looked rumpled. He had a leather jacket in his hand, and for a brief moment, I secretly wished I could see him in it. "Come inside; let me take a look at your lip."

I went to grab his hand to lead him inside, but without a word, he suddenly walked around me and pressed the button for the elevator. It opened, and he walked inside.

"Edward?" I questioned, wondering why he was just leaving. As the doors closed, he closed his eyes. Then, he was gone.

What was the matter with him?

"Bella," I heard from behind me. I turned and saw…gah! Jazz!

"What the hell are you doing here?" I questioned angrily. I assessed Jazz. He looked even worse than Edward. Oh my God. Had they gotten into a fight? Holy shit.

"Nice to see you, too," he said dryly, not at all sarcastic like he usually was. He didn't even smile at me. "Are you coming inside?"

I walked in and noticed pieces of glass on the ground, scattered sunflowers, and drops of blood. "Please don't tell me you two fought each other," I said.

He walked away into the kitchen, not saying a word to me. God…what was it with everyone ignoring me today? First Edward, now him. There was suddenly fast footsteps growing louder inside the hallway, and Alice appeared in the doorway, looking disorientated and holding a bag of ice. She saw me and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh my God, Bella!" Alice exclaimed. "Edward and Jasper got into a fight—like a full on _Fight Club_ fight."

Shit. This was _not _good. I pinched the bridge of my nose. I knew something like this might happen between them. Though, I was a bit shocked at Jasper. He was never the type to get involved in physical fights. He was much more of a "let's make love not war" type of guy, except he wasn't a hippie dippie with a tie-dye shirt and a bong. Thank heavens the seventies were over.

"Jasper, what happened?" I asked.

He came out of the kitchen and walked over to Alice. He grabbed the bag of ice out of her hand. "I don't know," he said dismissively, and went back into the kitchen.

"I'll tell you what happened," Alice offered, and dragged me into her bedroom. She shut the door behind us. "Okay, please promise me you won't hate me."

I raised an eyebrow. "Alice, what did you do?" _Oh fuck. Please don't tell me Edward found out about everything._

She looked at me nervously. "Well, this morning, when you went to the gym, Edward stopped by." She walked over to her closet and pulled…my purse out..? She handed it to me. "Here's your purse, by the way."

"Um, thanks," I said. "What did you say about him coming over this morning?"

"Yeah, so he came over and brought your purse."

"And you didn't tell me…why?"

"Cause he's a jerk and I wanted to mess with him," she admitted with a frown.

I furrowed my brow. "Why do I get the feeling that's not all?"

She shifted her eyes away. "Cause it's not…?"

"Alright, tell me everything," I demanded.

"Well, he said he wanted to take you to dinner, and I told him he should come at six because I knew you would be going out with Seth and then he'd come and you wouldn't be here. Then he'd be all sad and get a taste of his own medicine."

"Alice…" I scolded.

"That's not the worst part, though," she said hesitantly. "I told him not to call you so that it would be a surprise and said he should get you Casablanca lilies."

"Those flowers in the vase are mine?" I questioned.

"Yeah," she replied.

I scratched the back of my neck. Earlier, I'd been jealous when I thought they were for Alice, when all along, they were for me.

"So, then, he came back later…with your flowers…and I told him you weren't here 'cause you were out with another guy. He got really…I mean, _really_ angry. He automatically assumed it was Jasper. And then that's where it all went to hell…"

I covered my face with my hands, shaking my head. "Alice…"

"Jasper stopped by—I don't even know why. It was just my luck, I swear. He was supposed to be studying tonight or something. But he came right when Edward was about to leave and then…well…you can imagine what happened then."

"Edward punched him?" I questioned, horrified.

"Well…they both sort of went at it. Edward definitely started it, though…and finished it. I had to step in and get them to stop; otherwise, they might've killed each other."

I sighed. "Just tell me one thing," I began, "does Edward know about Jasper or about my plans?"

She shook her head. "No, definitely not. Jasper did bring up something about high school, but your name wasn't mentioned in reference to that."

I sighed in relief. "Okay, good." Even though it wasn't. "I know you meant well, Alice, but can you just stay out of it from now on?"

She nodded feverishly. "I promise I will. I totally messed it up, and I'm sorry. I was just angry for you 'cause of what he did."

"I'm not angry at him," I said honestly.

"But you should be," she reasoned.

"I don't get mad…I get even."

X-X-X-X

My entire Saturday passed with absolutely no call from Edward. I hesitated a few times to dial his number, but I decided to give him a break. I was sure his fight with Jasper was enough to need some alone time for a bit. And speaking of Jasper, he hadn't called me, either. After Alice and I had finished talking, we went back out into the living room and he had vanished. So odd. I merely rolled my eyes.

I spent the day at the club, checking inventory and paying bills. Marcus was back from out of town, so we didn't have to be at the club tonight, which I was glad for. I just wanted to go home and curl up on the couch with some ice cream while watching pay per view movies.

So, Saturday evening came and went, with still no call from Edward. It was now Sunday afternoon and, to be honest, I was getting a little worried. He would've called by now, right? He'd called a few times in the morning, so I knew he definitely was a morning person. He'd be up by now doing stuff. So, why wasn't he calling me?

I decided to bite the bullet and just call him. If he didn't like it, tough luck. I had a phase three to start.

"Hello?" he answered, his voice sounding sleepy.

Oh damn…he really was sleeping. "Uh, hi," I greeted. "Sorry, I didn't know you were asleep."

"It's fine," he said. "What is it?"

I frowned. Well, that was kind of rude. He hadn't spoken to me in over a day and he didn't even ask how I was. "Just wanted to see how you were."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

_Okay…_ "Good," I said. "So, that's all I wanted to know."

"Alright."

"Okay." _Now what?_ "Well…bye."

"Bye," he said, and the line went dead.

I furrowed my brow and huffed. What the fuck was that? This wouldn't fucking do at all. I called the bastard back almost immediately.

"What?" he answered.

"What the hell?" I questioned. "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," he said simply.

"_Nothing_?" He was so full of it. "You ignored me on Friday, you didn't call all yesterday, and probably weren't going to call today, too, am I correct?" Shit. I sounded like a woman. He was so infuriating!

He didn't answer for several seconds, and I thought he'd hung up. But then I heard his breathing on the other end.

"What are you doing today?" he asked suddenly.

"Umm," I fumbled, taken aback by his question. "Not much, why?"

"You know where Careek Park is?"

He wanted to go hiking? "Yeah, I do."

"How about I meet you there in half an hour," he suggested.

_He doesn't want to pick me up? _

I rolled my eyes at my own thoughts. Since when did I care if he picked me up or not?

"Yeah, sure," I agreed. We both said a quick goodbye and then hung up. Hopefully he wouldn't be moody when I saw him.

I went and got showered and changed into some black yoga pants and a white tank top. I threw my hair up into a messy bun and then began to put on a little make up.

"What am I doing?" I wondered out loud, stopping myself from applying lip gloss. I did _not _need make-up to go hiking.

Thirty minutes later, I pulled into an empty parking spot at the entrance of Careek Park. Edward was already there, leaning up against the side of his Vanquish in black Adidas sweat pants and a fitted dark green T-shirt that accentuated his toned stomach and broad shoulders. He was also wearing a dark blue Seattle Mariners baseball cap, hiding his usual messy hair that I liked. The hat didn't look bad, though…it actually looked _really_ good on him. I felt my face flush as I got out of my car and approached him.

"Hey," I greeted, unsure whether I should hug him, kiss him, or just do nothing. I didn't have to decide, though, because he pushed off his car and walked past me, saying a quiet hey in return. So, this was how it was going to be? I followed behind him as we made our way to the jungley entrance of the trail.

I didn't know what to do with my cell phone and car keys. I could ask Edward to put them in his pocket, but he didn't seem in a talking mood, so I kept them in my hand. As we walked on the trail, he stopped and turned around, waiting for me to catch up. When I did, he picked up walking again along side of me. We continued in silence, listening to the sounds of the birds in the trees. It really was quite beautiful here. I didn't get to enjoy nature much, living in the city. It reminded me of home. Forks had trees every which way you looked as opposed to Seattle. You almost had to go out of your way to see a tree in the city, and if you did, it looked like it was about to fall over and die.

I felt a small tugging on my hand, and I looked down to see what it was. Edward was trying to hold my hand. I looked at him, but he kept his face forward, emotionless. I looked forward, as well, and laced my fingers with his, mentally breathing a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to remain stiff.

After a few more minutes of walking silently, he tightened his fingers around mine and cleared his throat. "I'm guessing Jasper told you what happened," he said softly.

I looked at him, wondering if that was why he hadn't called. "No, actually. He didn't say anything. I haven't spoken to him since Friday, and even then, he barely spoke a word. I think he's avoiding me…"

"Ah," he said simply.

"I know you two got into a fight, though." I was about to say that I knew what he was arguing about, but I kept my mouth shut.

"Yeah, we did," he said, and cast me a quick sideways glance.

I tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "How's your lip?"

"It doesn't hurt as much anymore."

"That's good," I said. "It looks better than what I remember seeing on Friday."

"Yeah…" he trailed off, as if in thought.

Another few minutes went by and we didn't speak nor did we stop holding hands. Our walking pace was slow and steady. I was sure actual hikers would be appalled at how sluggish we were hiking, but they could kiss my ass. I refused to power walk and get all sweaty in front of Edward.

"Do you want me to put those in my pocket?" he asked, gesturing to my cell and keys.

"Oh, yeah, thanks," I said, giving them to him. He let go of my hand and placed my belongings in his pocket. When he didn't grab my hand again, I frowned.

We walked wordlessly for another few minutes. He was usually more chatty than this and it was slightly unnerving. I wished he would just tell me what was up. It would definitely put me more at ease.

"Jasper told me you know about Emily," he spoke abruptly.

I stiffened immediately. Shit! What the fuck? Jasper was cruisin' for a bruisin'. Good thing Edward punched the lights out of him, because I was about to run over to his place and do it myself! "Oh, uh…well…"

"It's okay," he assured. "You can be _honest_."

I looked at him when he said "honest." It was the way he said it. It was more like he spat the word at me. "Yeah, I know about her," I replied.

He sighed and grew silent again, looking as if he was about to speak, but trying to find the right words. "We dated in high school for a brief time," he started. "I thought she was cute, and we got along pretty well." He looked at me. "It wasn't true love or anything. It was just me dating a girl in high school." He looked forward again. "Anyway, it didn't end up working out between us and…well…she didn't take it all that well."

He stopped walking and sighed, leaning up against the wood railing. I watched him carefully.

"She drove by my house every night after that, and she'd stare at me in school, which always made me uncomfortable. She started to write me letters saying we should be together and stuff. She'd stick them in my locker when I wasn't looking. I threw out every single one. When I started dating someone else, things got progressively worse." He paused and looked down at the ground. "I was at this party once and I got pretty drunk, like I usually did. Emily showed up and tried to take advantage of me."

"What do you mean tried to take advantage?" I asked, quickly interrupting him. This was sounding a lot like what I had done.

"Well, I was pretty out of it. One minute I was sitting on a couch in someone's living room, the next I was in a bedroom, sprawled out on a bed with my shirt off and my pants undone." He cleared his throat. "I mean, I don't really want to go into it, but once I realized what she was trying to do, I quickly pushed her off me. I guess I did it pretty hard, 'cause she fell on the ground. She started to cry and stuff, and I was just so fed up of her stalking me and writing me letters, that I told her some harsh things." He looked up at me. "You might hate me after I tell you what I said to her."

I didn't know how I felt. It was all pretty shocking, to be honest, but I wanted to hear what he said. "I won't," I assured.

He sighed and closed his eyes. "I told her that I only used her for her body, that she meant nothing to me but a good fuck. Then I told her that she'd be better off dead because that was what she was to me."

I gasped and turned away, trying to breathe evenly, but failing miserably.

"I know," he said softly, "I know. It's awful. You have no idea how those words have haunted me…especially because…" He exhaled, as if he was having a hard time speaking, "that night, she tried to kill herself." I could feel his eyes on me as I continued to look away into the trees. "When it happened, I didn't know how to handle it. I remembered what I said to her and knew she tried to end her life because of what I told her. The trauma of the situation weighed heavily on me internally. I started taking drugs after that, trying to block out thinking about it. I got into some trouble with the law because of it and spent a night in jail. I don't know how or why, but it didn't end up going on my record. I didn't bother questioning it because I was just grateful to be off the hook. I stopped the drugs after that."

I took a moment to take in what he said. This was so much to handle. On one side, I felt completely terrible for Emily, but on another, I had some sympathy for Edward. I didn't know what to say or do, so I just stood there, blinking every few seconds as I sorted through the information. One thing that struck me as odd was his record getting wiped clean. I made a mental note to ask my dad about that.

"Say something," he demanded in almost a whisper.

"I don't know what to say," I spoke quietly.

He pushed off the railing and grabbed my waist, bringing me to him. I stared absentmindedly at his chest, and he grabbed the sides of my face, lifting it up so I could look into his eyes.

"I wanted to tell you this because I wanted to be honest with you," he said. "I _need_ to be honest with you. I also need for _us_ to be honest with each other." I furrowed my brow, confused at his intonations. He caressed my cheeks with the pads of his thumbs gently. "You know you can tell me anything. If you don't hate me for what I did to Emily, then I could never hate you for anything…ever." His bright green eyes pierced so intensely into mine. "Okay?"

I blinked a few times unthinkingly. "Okay," I whispered, and then completely moved out of his grasp, feeling uncomfortable now. "Come on, let's continue walking." I walked ahead, leaving him behind. He quickly caught up to me.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"Wanna race?" I asked, cutting him off.

He raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Race," I said simply. "Me and you. See that tree over there?" I pointed to an ugly tree several feet away that was covered in Spanish moss. "Last one there is a rotten egg." I began to run as fast as I could.

"That's not fair," I heard him call behind me, but soon, he was passing me, running like a fucking bullet. Where the hell did he come from?

He beat me, of course, but I hadn't been too far behind him. He suggestively remarked that we needed to find a way to get my stamina up, and then I knew that mopey Edward left town, finally, which made me a bit happier. After that, things were pretty light. We laughed, goofed off. He tried to stick leaves in my hair, which I didn't appreciate, so I grabbed his hat off his head and stuck it on my own. He panicked, running his fingers through his hair frantically, trying to fix it. I laughed and said he was such a girl, worrying about his looks. He made to grab the hat back, but I kept my hands firmly on the top of my head to keep it there.

"Fine," he grumbled. "It looks better on you, anyway." He stepped closer to me. "But if I could just do one thing…" He tried to grab the hat again, and I locked my fingers together on the top of my head.

"Bella," he laughed. "I'm not going to take it, I swear. I just want to…" He pried my fingers apart one by one and brought both of my hands down to my sides. He moved the baseball cap so that it was backwards on my head. "There. Now, I can do this." He leaned in and captured my top lip in his mouth, one of his hands wrapping around the back of my neck while the other pulled me closer to him. I instantly responded, fisting his shirt and tilting my head to the side. He lightly pulled at my lip with his teeth and let out a throaty groan. Then, very abruptly, he pulled back and began walking again. Stunned, I remained in place, my mouth still in kissing position, tingling with the memory of his lips on mine. He threw a smug look over his shoulder.

"Now who's the one not being fair?" I questioned, crossing my arms over my chest. He turned around, walking backwards, and shrugged, smiling devilishly. I rolled my eyes and caught up to him.

We walked on the trail for fifteen more minutes before we started to head back. Wanting to remember how beautiful this place was, I started taking pictures with my camera phone of almost everything; a dirty looking rock, a ladybug, a leaf that had fallen to the ground that looked like the state of Texas. Edward thought I was ridiculous and that I wouldn't even glance at those pictures again. I scoffed at him and then took a picture of him as he bent over to inspect the Texas leaf. He got upset because I didn't "get his good side." I laughed because his ass seemed pretty good to me, and then I hoodwinked him into taking a picture with me, which he was much more accepting of.

As soon as we got back to the parking lot, he grabbed me and kissed me, saying he had a good time.

"Thanks for my flowers," I said timidly. "They were lovely."

"You're welcome," he replied with a small smile. He looked genuinely happy, which was a stark difference from when we first met up. We both agreed to call each other later, and then we parted ways.

When I got home, I quickly uploaded my pictures to my computer, admiring my ladybug photo. I was a damn good photographer. I bet people would pay me for my skills. I stared at the picture of Edward and me, observing how we looked together. We didn't look half bad. It seemed like we were almost a normal, happy couple. I instantly got an idea and grinned mischievously to myself.

I printed the picture out and then went into my room to look for a frame. When I stuck it in, I went out into the living room. Rose was sitting on the couch with her laptop on her lap.

"Hey, Rose," I greeted.

"Hey," she said back, shutting her laptop. "Nice hat."

I touched the top of my head, realizing I'd forgotten to give Edward's hat back to him. "Oh, yeah."

"What's up? You okay?" she questioned.

I smiled. "Yep," I assured. I knew she didn't just mean that generally. "You going to see Emmett today?"

"Yeah, I'm heading over to his place in a few minutes, why?" she questioned curiously.

_Perfect._ "Can you give this to Edward if you see him?" I handed her the picture frame.

She took a look at it and then laughed. "Wow, Bella. Going for the jugular, huh?"

"Yep, indeed," I said, chuckling.

"Alright, no problem," she agreed.

I turned and went back into my room. I grabbed my journal and started writing everything that had happened today. Phase three might be easier than I originally thought.

* * *

**A/N: **

**So, I did a poll a while back when this story was in its infancy asking my readers what phase you thought Bella was going to get to before she sacked the plan (if she did at all). The top choice was phase three. I'm not really sure why, but I'm not in your heads, so I can't really answer that. I just thought it was interesting. If you need a refresher on the phases, here they are in a nutshell:**

**1 – Act innocent, aloof, sexy. **  
**2 – Be what he wants. **  
**3 – Make him fall in love. _- This is where we're at._**  
**4 – Have sex, abandon him. **  
**5 – Watch him crash and burn.**

**I know everything is sort of confusing and complicated. To alleviate some worries, if you have a question about the story, feel free to ask in a review. I'll take the best questions, or the ones that I know I can answer, and I'll reply to them in my next author's note. I'll credit you, of course. **

**If you ask me when I'm updating next…I will murderize you. Nah, I'm kidding. (No I'm not.) **

**I'll try to post next week, but I can't make any promises.  


* * *

**

**I'm hosting a contest along with my friends coachlady1, MizzezPattinson, and Cars1. It's called "Gotta Love a Man in Uniform." It's gonna be super delicious and you should check it out if you're interested in submitting something. Go here for contest details: **

_**www . twifichof . wordpress . com**_


	21. Tryst

**A/N: **

_**Warning: This will be a long ass A/N. If you don't like it, skip it! **_

**And we're back! Thanks for the reviews, ladies, as usual. There were some issues with the last chapter that a few readers told me about, so I know some of you didn't get the update alert. If that be the case, before you read further, just make sure you read the last chapter, then you can read this one. Of course, if you want to skip the last chapter, you're free to, but don't blame me if things are wonky for you!**

**Thanks to my beta Lindz26. Happy birthday! Hope you had lots of booze. And you better have saved me some, too. Lord knows, I need it. Thanks to Belindella for pre-reading this bad boy. I love you, B. Don't know what I'd do without your support. **

**Last week, I told you all in my ending author's note that if you had any questions pertaining to the plot of the story, you could ask in a review. I put a Q&A of the results for your reading pleasure. There might be some small spoilers, but nothing that will truly give away the plot, so if you want to skip it, be my guest. I talk too much, anyway.

* * *

**

**_Hate Me_ Questionnaire with Dani. **

**Q – coletteg17: With the Emily story it seems like that could be a reason why he initially denied Bella, because of the situation he had...he didn't like girls coming onto him. Is this the ONLY reason he denied her orrrr are there more?  
A – Dani:**** Emily didn't play a factor into the rejection, which happened months after that incident. There are reasons why Edward rejected her; of course, they may or may not be loaded reasons, but that will be explained. Just not now. Edward and Bella's present story needs to get out first before that other stuff comes into play. **

**Q – ****thia2****: How can Edward and Emmett be seeing these girls and not know where they work?****  
A – Dani: You have to remember that they've all only been dating for about a week or so. Speaking for Edward, they've barely been on a date. Yeah he wanted to make Bella his girlfriend, but he was sort of jumping the gun really, because he knows nothing about her. However, this will change, have no fear.**

**Q – Aubrey Kate: So does Bella know that Edward knows that Jasper wasn't her boyfriend?  
A – Dani: That question makes my head spinny. Bella doesn't know that Edward knows that Jasper knows. Phew. Not yet at least.**

**Q – Starnani21: This game is getting a bit complicated, don't you think?  
A – Dani: NEVER! Actually, yes it is, but that's the magic of it. I love to mess with your minds and make your brains fry so that by the time you review, your words come out as gibberish. To be honest, I always planned for it to be complicated. I like the whole web tangling thing. The game will continue. So, if that's not your cup of tea, then I'm sorry. There will be a resolution, but Schemeward and Revengella are way too stubborn to give in that easily. It would all be such a cop out.  
**

**Q – ****VampChick76**** : So Edward wasn't on drugs when Bella tried to get some of that pretty man we call Edward Cullen? Was he drunk?  
A – Dani: Edward was not on drugs, nor was he inebriated, at the time. In the flashback, it showed him having a beer, but he had just that one. So, his reaction to Bella was fully himself. **

**Q – ****Kiiimberly**** : When will Edward find out Bella's secrets?  
A – Dani: lol. Nice try. I'm not falling for your voodoo question! Read on and find out.**

**THE END

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Bella goes into phase three.

* * *

**

**~*TRYST*~  
*EDWARD***

The warm water hammered down on my back, rejuvenating my body for the day. I turned around and let it run through my hair, seeping down my face and onto my chest. Quietly smiling to myself, I turned off the shower and stepped out, grabbing a towel to wrap around my waist on my way to the sink. I looked at my face in the mirror and rubbed a hand along my jaw, feeling the rough stubble there. Should I shave today?

There was a loud knock on the front door and I went into my bedroom, discarding my towel along the way. I quickly threw on a shirt and jeans, and then made my way to the front door. Today had been great so far, and I was in one of the best moods I'd ever had. Nothing could possibly ruin it. I swung open the door, coming face to face with…Rose.

God hated me.

"I'm sorry; I didn't order any _bitch mood_ today. Come back tomorrow," I said, and began to shut the door in her face.

She immediately stopped the door's movement with her foot and just moseyed on into my apartment. It was times like this when I wished I had a state of the art Gallagher electrical solar power fencing set up. I saw it on the _Discovery Channel_ once. It would be quite useful right now.

She merely smiled smugly at me as she went into the living room. Wow. No comeback. She must've finally gotten that tongue removal surgery I was praying she'd get. "Where's Emmett?" she asked. _Well, I guess dreams really don't come true._

"Out," I replied stoically. I never knew where Emmett went most of the time. He never bothered to tell me, not like I ever asked. He was most likely at Dunkin' Donuts, though. At least three times a week, I'd wake up to find a half eaten box of donuts sitting on the kitchen counter with crumbs surrounding it.

She put her hands on her hips. "And do you know when my boyfriend will be back?"

"Oh, is that what he is? For some reason, I thought he was your evil flying monkey, sent off to do your bidding," I replied with a quick smile before my face dropped into a dull expression.

Without a word, she walked over to the couch, fluffed the cushion, shrugged off her purse, and then sat down gingerly. "Would that make you the Scarecrow?" she asked.

I furrowed my brow. Why the hell would that make me the Scarecrow? I stood there for a few seconds, trying to get it…until it finally clicked. "Okay, out," I ordered, motioning a hand to the door.

She laughed. "No, I'm not just here to see Emmett. I'm here on business," she admitted.

"Rose, the Perv's Palace strip club is clear across town."

She sighed and crossed her legs. "That's fine," she said casually. "I just won't give you your gift."

"Herpes is a gift?" I questioned with a sly smile. I was on a roll. And my good mood was still intact.

She shot me a death glare. "It's probably not a good idea to call Bella's gift for you herpes."

My smile fell. "She got me a gift?" I questioned. Rose shrugged and turned her head away. I rolled my eyes. "Well, give it to me."

"I think you'll have to do better than that," she goaded.

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Give it to me _now_."

"Hmm," she hummed in thought. "Nope, still not good enough."

I sighed, because I really wanted to see what Bella got me. "_Please_, give it to me."

"Add my name in there," she demanded.

I groaned. "Please…" _Satan_, "Rose, give it to me," I said through gritted teeth.

"Now, add in 'goddess' before my name," she instructed. I threw my hands up in frustration and turned to walk away. "Alright, alright, here you go." I turned back around and saw her reaching inside her purse. She pulled out a simple silver picture frame and held it out for me to take. "Here."

I quickly snatched it from her before she changed her mind and made me call her other delusional names. When I saw what was in the frame, I smiled to myself. It was a self-taken photo from earlier when I was with Bella at Careek Park. She was staring into the camera with the most cheesiest grin I'd ever seen, but I wasn't looking into the camera at all. I was merely staring at her with a contented smile on my face. Without knowing it, I let out a small laugh.

"Like it, huh?" Rose questioned, one corner of her mouth turned up in some sort of evil smirk.

My smile dropped into a scowl and I walked off, still staring at the picture. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out," I said, and went inside my bedroom.

"Where are you gonna put it?" Rose asked, her voice coming directly behind me.

I spun around to see she was like, an inch on top of me. "Get out of my room!" I exclaimed.

She chuckled darkly and walked around me towards my nightstand, then pointed to it. "You should put it right here." I gave her a venomous look and outstretched my hand, pointing towards the direction of the door. She laughed and started walking. "Alright, alright. Don't get your g-string in a twist. I'll let you handle your picture," she said, passing by me with a weird leer that made my skin crawl. "Tell Emmett I stopped by."

A few seconds later, I heard the click of the front door. I climbed on my bed with the picture frame and threw an arm behind my head to rest on the pillow. As I held the picture, I rubbed my thumb over the glass where Bella's face was. Even with her silly grin, she looked beautiful, flushed from the walking. The last day or so, I'd been pretty down, so it was nice to feel so…happy.

I spent all of Saturday trying my hardest not to think about Bella, because if I did, I'd probably have had to admit that she wasn't telling me certain things. I busied myself at the club mostly, and when I was home, I kept myself distracted by watching football with Emmett and drinking beer. It wasn't too hard to keep my thoughts at bay, since he liked to have almost full on, non-stop, commentary conversations with me or the television while the game went on. I stayed up all night drinking beer after beer until I was about ready to collapse at four in the morning.

When I was awoken by my cell phone later on the same day, I was groggy from the beer and in a bad mood from everything else. I answered it reluctantly, not bothering to check the caller ID. But I should've, because had I checked, I would've seen that it was Bella. However, I didn't. I wasn't ready to speak to her. I was still trying _not_ to think about her or anything I'd found out. Didn't they say that ignorance was bliss? But, of course, she had to call back again after I practically brushed her off. She was stubborn as hell. Why couldn't she have just left it alone? Then, she had to go point out exactly what I had been doing, which was ignoring her and avoiding the problem. Her voice was angry and stout, but I could hear hints of rejection in there and that almost crushed me. I didn't want her to think I was rejecting her; I merely just wanted to avoid the problem. So, stupidly, I told her to meet up with me. After we hung up, I kicked myself repeatedly for changing my plans of ignoring her to full on seeing her. But, inside, I was a little happy at the chance to be with her again. Okay, maybe not a little. It was sort of like an overwhelming sensation of relief at the thought of her being next to me again. It was torture.

I tried to keep my cool when I pulled up to the entrance of the hiking trail. I'd decided that I was going to let her talk. If she had something to say, she could say it, but I had no reason to speak to her. However, when her car pulled into the parking lot and she stepped out of the car, all rational thought escaped me and I wanted to scoop her in my arms and kiss her pretty lips for hours. Not to mention hump her leg because she looked like fucking sex…and at goddamn one in the afternoon, too. Her pants were tight as hell, hugging her ass just right, and her tank top was low cut, which showed off her cleavage that I'd wanted to suck and lick on several occasions…that being every time I saw her. As it was, my sweat pants were growing tight, and at any moment, she would see what was going on down there, so I walked by her and to the trail. When my…situation…seemed to be under control, I realized that she was lagging behind, looking uncertain. I stopped and let her catch up to me.

Her walking next to me was an even bigger problem, though, because I was overwhelmingly aware of her hand almost two inches away from mine. Why did she have to affect me like this? I inwardly berated myself that I should've stayed home and not put myself through all this temptation, but by then, it was too late, so I slowly wormed my fingers into her hand, trying not to reveal on my face that I was a fucking weak son of a bitch. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her watching me in surprise, but then she entwined her fingers with mine.

As we walked in silence, those traitor thoughts started to sneak their way back into my head, the ones that would have to make me confront how I felt about everything. I didn't want to; I wanted to be in denial, but with her right next to me, it was damn hard. I began to think about how I'd left her Friday night, how she looked as I walked away from her. She was confused and I hadn't had said anything to her. I wondered what happened after I left. I knew Jasper was there and that she'd be with him. Would he have said something to her? He was a friend of hers, so he probably would've, even though he'd told me he wasn't going to. Wanting to know if she knew what happened, I brought it up with her. To my surprise, she said she didn't know. That meant Jasper kept his mouth shut, after all. I was actually grateful to him for not saying anything. Maybe I'd misjudged him. I'd told myself at the time that I wanted to be the one to bring it all up to her, but I hadn't factored in that I'd want to delay it inevitably. Walking with Bella, with no one around, I knew I had to tell her something. I couldn't just remain quiet about it all. However, I still didn't want her to know that I knew about Jasper not being her ex-boyfriend. I couldn't, not just yet.

Basically, it all came down to honesty. She wasn't telling me the truth for whatever reason and that bugged the hell out of me, not to mention made me feel like shit. Why couldn't she tell me the truth? Was there something about me where she felt that she had to hide stuff? I didn't want her to think that. I wanted us to have an honest relationship. So, in order to show her how I wanted us to be, and hopefully get her to tell the truth in turn, I told her about something that I'd never talked to anyone about, not even my own brother or parents. Mind you, they all knew what happened…hell, the entire school knew what happened, but no one knew how hard I took it.

Emily was one of those girls that all the guys liked but didn't have the balls to ask out. She was beautiful, smart, and had goals. I actually liked her a lot and we got along well. However, I wasn't about to throw away everything I did with girls just for her, even with as much as we got along. We dated for less than a month before I had her in her bed one day after school. After that, of course, I broke it off, like I always did after I got what I wanted. What I hadn't prepared for was the aftermath. Normally, when I broke up with a girl, there'd be tears, maybe a bit of depression, but _never _did any of them practically stalk me and try to manipulate me into being with them again. She'd gone from a sweet, innocent girl, to this almost deranged psycho. I remembered, one time, I'd come home from school and found a couple of my sweaters missing from my closet. At school the next day, she was wearing one of them. When I confronted her, however, she said that I gave it to her as a present because I loved her.

She. Was. Nuts.

It only got worse after that, and one night, I was at a party with the girl I had been currently dating. I got pretty hammered, and sometime during the party, she went off with a friend somewhere, leaving me on the couch. I was too wasted to get up and socialize, so I sat there. I probably blacked out or something, because when I woke up, I was in a bedroom with my pants down while Emily had my dick in her mouth. I threw her off me instantly with as much energy as I could muster and told her the words that followed me every single day after that. The next day, I was told that Emily had tried to commit suicide, and I knew it was because of me, because of what I said. I wasn't a completely unfeeling guy. I knew what I said had caused her to want to take her own life, and I hated myself for it. After that, she was in the hospital for weeks, and I completely shut down, using drugs as a means to avoid everything. It got to a point where I was pretty reckless, stashing marijuana in my bag at school, snorting coke in the boys' bathroom. Everyone could tell something was up, but again, I avoided it.

I kept up my usual stint with leading girls on and partying. But one party I went to got a bit out of hand, and before we all knew it, the police were raiding the house, and what did they find? Me snorting coke in an upstairs bathroom. I went to jail and my parents were pissed as fuck when they came to bail me out. They told me I was "so lucky to get off scot-free." At the time, I was so out of it that I didn't comprehend what they meant, but later, I found out that the drug charges didn't go onto my record. I cleaned up my act after that, but continued to bury the Emily situation away. And it wasn't too hard because she never came back to school after that.

Since then, I'd always had avoidance issues. Once something got tough, I swept it under the carpet. Thinking about things that made me upset was too much to handle, even now, thinking about it all, I just wanted to grab a beer and drown myself in it. Could I do that at three in the afternoon? Hell, I didn't care. Screw drinking etiquette.

I sat up on my bed, preparing to stand, until something Rose said stopped me. Where was I going to put this picture? I'd never gotten a picture frame before as a gift, and I certainly didn't have pictures lying around the house. I wasn't my goddamn parents with a million pictures of Emmett and me naked—as children, not as adults, because that'd just be creepy. With as much as I disliked Rose, maybe she knew a thing or two about where to put pictures. Heeding her advice, I set it on my nightstand, admiring it for a second, adjusting it so that it angled perfectly towards the bed. When I realized what I was doing, I scratched the back of my neck and quickly stood, practically sprinting into my kitchen. I opened the fridge and grabbed a much needed beer, but just as I was about to open it, I heard the front door lock turn. I could hear Emmett's loud voice, but there was someone else with him, too.

"Yeah, I wondered about that," I heard Emmett say as he walked by. He saw me in the kitchen and then looked behind him. "Oh, here he is."

I raised an eyebrow in question, wondering what the hell was going on, until I saw Jasper step into view looking sheepish. "Uh, hey," I said to him. "What are you two doing together?"

"I was at Dunkin' Donuts and I saw him coming out of the pharmacy next door. He said he wanted to speak to you, so I brought him home," Emmett explained.

Feeling a little uncomfortable, I cleared my throat. "Oh, alright," I said. "Hey, where the hell are the donuts, then?"

Emmett grinned and leaned against the kitchen counter. "I ate 'em." He eyed my beer in my hand. "Drinking in the afternoon, are we?"

I shrugged. "Yeah."

He shrugged, too. "Then give me one, at least."

I rolled my eyes and took a beer from the fridge, tossing it to him, and then looked at Jasper. "Want one, too?" I asked.

His eyes went wide for a second. "Uh, sure?" he said with a questioning intonation.

I took another out and tossed it to him, just as I did with Emmett. Jasper started looking around him, which confused me. At the same time, Emmett and I placed our palms on the top of our beers, twisted, then disposed of the caps in the trash.

"What was that?" Jasper questioned.

"What was what?" I asked.

"You both just uncapped the beer with your hands," he said with a chuckle.

Emmett and I both smirked at each other. "I learned that in high school to impress the chicks," Emmett admitted, "then I taught my bro, here, when I graduated, so he could get chicks, as well."

I shook my head and took a long pull of my beer, then grabbed Jasper's beer and uncapped it for him. I walked out of the kitchen and Jasper followed behind me, Emmett remaining a bit back. I told Jasper he could sit, and he did.

"So, I wanted to just apologize for Friday. I guess I misjudged you a bit," Jasper said.

I snorted. "I think that's what I should be saying," I admitted. "I was the one who decided to punch you, and definitely the one who misjudged you."

"Yeah, but I pretty much hated you since high school, just because of what I heard. Then when I saw you again, it was hard to think of you as anything different."

I didn't want to say that I still had the same motives when he met me again. The point was, I was different now, so I shrugged it off. "Even if you hadn't misjudged me, I wouldn't have given you the time of day, anyway," I noted.

Emmett laughed from somewhere, and I looked around to see where he was, but he wasn't even in the living room.

"Got something to say, Em?" I questioned with a smirk.

"Yeah," he called, and then popped out from his bedroom. "Ed is the most stubborn ass I've ever known. He won't change anything about him unless it's practically shoved down his throat."

Jasper laughed, and I gave Emmett a death glare. "That's not fucking true," I spat.

"Oh, yeah?" Emmett queried with a smug look. "For fucking months, he begged our parents to let him watch _The Exorcist_, even though they said we couldn't. He brought it up every single goddamn day and wouldn't shut up about it. Just to get him of their backs, and probably teach him a lesson, our parents got the director's cut of it on VHS and gave it to us to watch one night. The kid literally pissed himself when the girl crawls down the stairs upside down, and he stood up, screaming at the TV like an idiot for the rest of the movie. The next day, the tape of the VHS had mysteriously been taken out and thrown in our neighbor's front yard." He smiled at me. "Learned your lesson, huh?"

My face flushed with anger. "I was fucking nine years old!" I exclaimed. Jasper was fucking cracking up at this. "Yeah, you laugh, but wait until you see the director's cut. That possessed bitch is a freak. All bendy and shit."

"Don't you like them bendy?" Emmett asked with a smile.

I grabbed the couch cushion and threw it at him. "Get the fuck outta here!"

He dodged it. "You know you're still stubborn as shit," he said, giving me some sort of knowing scolding look that my mother would give. What the fuck was that about? He turned and left without a word.

"Anyway," Jasper deflected. "So, are we cool?"

I nodded and took a pull of my beer. "Yeah."

He cleared his throat, and then shifted in his seat, looking uncomfortable. "Have you heard from Bella?"

_Ah, cutting to the quick, are we?_ "Yeah, I saw her a couple hours ago," I said, smiling a little at the memory of her taking pictures of almost every fucking thing in sight. "Have you?" I already knew the answer, but it didn't hurt to double check.

He took a long pull of his beer, and then set it down. "Nope," he said. "Haven't seen her since Friday and probably won't for a while."

I raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I know she's keeping things from me, and on top of that, she's got Alice keeping things from me, so now everyone is hiding something and I have no clue what the hell it is," he admitted. "Besides the fact that she apparently was telling people I was her ex-boyfriend."

"_People_?" I questioned incredulously.

Suddenly, Emmett's laugh burst through the apartment, and we both turned our heads towards the sound. He walked out of his bedroom and merely smiled at us, then went into the kitchen. I raised an eyebrow and turned back to Jasper.

"Not people, I guess. Just you, I think," he corrected, looking unsure.

"Hmm," I hummed in thought. Why would she just tell me that and no one else?

"Did you two work everything out?" he asked.

"I don't know," I said honestly. "Yes and no. I mean, we're cool now and all. Things seem relatively back to normal, but she's still being quiet about a lot of things and I don't really know how to get her to open up."

I heard Emmett snort softly from the kitchen. If he didn't stop being retarded, I was going to get up and knock his teeth out.

"You just forgave her after finding out she was basically lying to you?" he asked curiously.

I furrowed my brow. Here was where things were complicated. I'd never consciously decided I was going to forgive her; instead, I merely pushed it aside to enjoy my time with her. I knew that wasn't the best thing, but I couldn't help it when I was around her. I didn't like the confrontation at all. "I'm not sure…I guess," I said, peeling the label off my beer.

"Once you form attachments, it becomes harder and harder to walk away," he noted matter-of-factly.

I arched an eyebrow. "What are you, a fucking therapist?"

He chuckled. "I'm actually studying psychotherapy right now."

"Oh," I said lamely. _Fucking great. Now I'll have someone analyzing my every move. _

Emmett came back out and looked at Jasper, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can you tell me why Edward slept in our parents' bed up until he was eleven?"

I groaned and scowled at him. "Get out!" I yelled.

"I'm just saying," he said with a shrug, and then his expression turned more serious. "Oh, you should invite Jasper tonight."

"Invite to what?" Jasper asked.

"We've got a band called New Dawn playing at the club tonight," I explained with a smirk. "Tickets are completely sold out."

"Oh, yeah, they're local, right?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah," I answered.

"How'd you manage to do that?"

I laughed. "We have a fundraiser event booked at our club for a couple weeks from now by a man named Peter Stone. His wife, Charlotte Stone, is an A&R rep for Broken Records, and I called in a favor."

After that whole Testosterone Tuesday shitfest, the wheels in my head began to turn on how to upstage the girls across the street. Emmett and I came up with having a band play at the club, and I had to practically charm the pants off Charlotte to let New Dawn play at ours.

"It's gonna be awesome," Emmett noted.

"Yeah, you should come," I said to Jasper.

"Uhh," he said, looking like he was hesitating. "I don't have a ticket."

Emmett and I both laughed. "You don't need a ticket with us," Emmett said cockily.

Jasper shrugged in finality. "Alright, sure. I'll be there."

"Alright, cool," Emmett said. "Now, can you please tell me why Edward buys vanilla scented lotion?"

My cheeks flamed in embarrassment. "Okay, that's it. Get the hell out!" I yelled angrily. He giggled like an idiot and ran into his room.

After Bella had spent the night, I'd realized the pillow she slept on smelled like vanilla, which I assumed was what shampoo scent she used. I definitely would never admit that I bought vanilla scented lotion because it smelled like her.

X-X-X-X

I groaned to myself as I sat in my office, twisting the swivel chair left and right. _If one more person knocks on my door, I'm going to blow a fucking gasket. _

For two fucking hours, since I came to the club, my employees had been asking me ridiculous questions that normally Angela would handle, but she wasn't goddamn here. I ran into my office after a while to escape. Everyone seemed to be freaking out just because there was a band playing here. Jesus fucking Christ, it was just a stupid ass band.

There was a knock on the door, and I clenched my fists, my knuckles turning white.

"What?" I barked.

The door creaked open slowly and Jane came about an inch inside, hesitating a bit. "New Dawn's tech crew is here. Where should I tell them to set up their stuff?"

I groaned loudly. "On the _stage_, Jane."

"Oh, right," she said with a shrug.

My fucking God. Why did I have to let Angela take the weekend off? "Goddamn women and their emotional breakdowns," I muttered to myself.

"Excuse me?" Jane questioned, looking offended.

I rolled my eyes. "Goddamn women taking everything personally," I mumbled.

"What?" Jane asked haughtily, placing her hands on her hips.

I stood up. "Go tell the crew to set up," I ordered.

She gave me a scathing look, and then walked back out of the office. Just as she left, Emmett came waltzing in. "Whoa, what did you do to her?" Emmett asked. "She looked like she wanted to slaughter someone."

I shrugged. "Who knows? Women are all crazy."

He smiled. "Even Bella?" he questioned.

I narrowed my eyes. I didn't think she was crazy at all, but I wasn't going to tell him that because then I'd be a hypocrite. No, I had to stand by my statement that women were nuts.

"Alright, don't answer, then," he said, putting his hands up in surrender. "It's a full house out there, by the way."

I smiled mischievously. "Fantastic. How's Touch&Go?"

He rolled his eyes. "It's pretty empty," he admitted.

I clapped in celebration. "Fucking perfect." I wondered what would happen now. Would they slowly go out of business? I hoped so.

"One of your little KIT girls stopped over today looking for her purse," Emmett said.

"Huh?" I questioned, still in my own thoughts. I imagined what it would be like to come to Satyr one day to see their club completely empty. The thought alone made me giddy with triumph.

"…have syphilis and she said that your brunette gave her a good deal," Emmett finished. When had he been talking?

"My brunette?" I questioned, my interest piquing. Was he talking about Bella? "Who's my brunette?"

"Were you even listening to me?" he asked, looking irritated. I blinked, not really sure what to say. "Never mind." He turned around and walked out, grumbling something to himself.

"What was that?" I called out after him, but he didn't answer.

Over the next hour, I actually left the office and hung out a bit before New Dawn went on. The place was absolutely packed with people. I met the band for a bit. They were a bunch of young douches who kept hitting on my employees. Thank God Bella wasn't here, otherwise I'd have to fucking gouge their eyes out and castrate them all. Just saying…

When they started playing, I began to make my way over to VIP. However, I was stopped when a man blocked my path, almost purposefully.

"Great club you got here," he remarked with a weird smile.

I looked him up and down. He appeared to be about middle aged and had a dark blue business suit on. His dark hair was slicked back and his skin was somewhat ashy. He didn't fit in here at all. "Uh, thanks," I said uncomfortably.

He continued his creepy smile. "Enjoy it," he said, and disappeared into the crowd.

_Fucking weird. _

Shaking my head, I went into VIP. I had no fucking clue where Emmett was, but I couldn't be bothered. The band was actually pretty awesome. I could see why a shitload of people paid to see them. After a few songs, Jasper came in and I waved a hand in the air so he could find me.

"Hey, this is pretty sick," he commented, sitting down.

"Yeah, they're assholes, but they play like pros," I remarked.

He laughed. "Sorry I'm late. Got stuck on the phone with Alice."

"It's cool. So, are you and Alice pretty serious?" I questioned, making small talk.

"Well, we just started dating, but I think we're fairly serious," he answered with a shrug, and I nodded. "What about you and Bella?"

I chuckled. "No clue," I admitted. "When I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend, things got fucked up." Why the hell was I telling him all this stuff?

"That sucks. Are you gonna try again?" he inquired.

I had no clue. I hadn't thought about it. I wanted to, but things were a bit different now since that day I wanted to ask her. Maybe it was good I got sidetracked. I didn't want to ask her when there was all this confusion, questioning, and dishonesty going on. No, I'd wait. "Probably," I said simply.

We went silent for a bit, watching the band and enjoying watching everyone else. After a while, he offered to go get us some drinks. He began to stand up, but then quickly sat back down.

"Ah, hell," he said with a scowl on his face, looking out towards the crowd.

"What?" I asked him, and turned my head to see what he was looking at. I scanned the crowd until I saw just what exactly he was upset about. Bella was by the front entrance, looking around feverishly, as if for someone. Probably me, right? I stood with a smile and waved a hand in the air, trying to get her attention. She was just in a pair of jeans and a worn out looking blue T-shirt, her hair up in a high ponytail. She looked kinda cute. I groaned inwardly at myself calling a chick cute. I probably should've phoned her and told her to come, but it hadn't even crossed my mind. Her eyes suddenly found mine, and I grinned because I was happy to see her, but she didn't return the smile; in fact, her mouth formed into a thin, tight line and her eyes turned to slits. She began to stomp over to me, looking as if she was on a fucking war path. Shit. What the fuck? Just as she noticed Jasper was next to me, she froze, her expression becoming grim, then just plain pissed.

"Hey, baby—" I started to greet.

"What the hell?" she questioned angrily at Jasper, cutting me off. "Wanna tell me what the fuck you're doing here?"

"Bella," Jasper said, looking entirely fed up with her.

"Well?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. Shit, was she angry because I invited him but forgot to invite her? "I've been waiting fucking two hours for you and you've been here the entire time!" Okay, apparently not. Wait, why was she waiting for him?

Jasper stood. "Is that a problem?" he asked, staring daggers at her.

"Yeah, that's a fucking problem!" she growled, stepping closer to him.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize the world revolved around you," he countered, seething.

"Screw you! I know exactly what you're doing," she accused, pointing a finger at him.

_Um, whoa. I don't even think they know I'm here right now._

"You go ahead and think that," he said, walking quickly around her.

She spun around and charged after him. The further away they got, the less I could hear them over the loud music. Bella was flailing her arms everywhere, and Jasper was doing a good job at arguing back with her. I just sat, wide-eyed, watching. What the hell else was I supposed to do? They seemed in their own little bubble as they continued to argue, neither of them looking like they were listening to the other as they yelled over each other. She looked taken aback for a split second, but then continued screaming at him. After a few minutes, Jasper walked off towards the bar, and Bella looked after him, scowling. She suddenly spun around to face me, her eyes dark and scornful, her hands balled into fists at her sides. She took a few hurried steps towards me.

"And you!" she yelled. "What the hell is this? What do you think you're doing, huh?"

I blinked a few times in confusion. "Excuse me?" I questioned, baffled.

She waved her arm around, motioning to the band playing. "This!" she exclaimed. "What is this?"

"It's a band, Bella," I said, wondering if I'd spoken too soon with Emmett when he asked if I thought Bella was crazy.

"_Duh_, it's a fucking band," she spat. "Why would you do this?"

"Why wouldn't I?" I inquired, even more confused. "It makes me a profit, gets us some good publicity." She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Not to mention it completely emptied out the club across the street. Those bitches probably didn't know what hit them." I chuckled proudly to myself.

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped, her mouth practically dropping to the floor. "I can't…I can't even believe you!" she yelled, going super-sonic. "How dare you call u—them that!"

I raised an eyebrow. "What?" I asked incredulously.

"You don't know what they go through! Don't you think that they worked hard to open their club just for you guys to come along afterwards and fucking steal their customers?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," I started, "Steal? No one is stealing. We earned our customers fair and square."

"You fucking stole them and you know it!" she barked.

"We didn't, and even if we did, they deserve it!" I countered. "They've been trying to sabotage us from the start." She didn't have a reply to this, but merely stared daggers at me, her entire body shaking. "What do you even care? They're most likely just a bunch of stupid bimbos with nothing better to do but take money from their rich husbands."

She growled, her face turning red. She took a step towards me and then…_FUCK!_ She fucking stomped on my foot! What the fucking hell shit—? _ARRRGH!_ She spun around, her ponytail whipping in front of me, and began to walk away.

"Fucking holy mother of—!" I choked, hobbling around as I tried to ease the pain.

She had already made it halfway across the club towards the exit, and when the goddamn pain subsided, I made a dash to her. I grabbed her arm roughly and spun her around.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I spat angrily.

Her nostrils flared as she tried to get out of my tight hold. "Leave me alone," she seethed, and I could see her foot getting ready to fucking stomp on me again.

"Oh no you fucking don't," I growled, and began to drag her through the crowd by her arm. She stumbled into my back at first, but then continued to struggle out of my grasp.

I opened my office door and yanked her inside. As soon as I shut it behind us, I pushed her up against the back of the door and covered her body with mine. My intent was to question why she was being such a fucking bitch, why she screamed at me for no reason and then stomped on my goddamn foot. That was my only goal. But when I saw her fucking flushed face, dark eyes glaring at me, and felt her fucking tits pressed up against my chest, my thoughts took on another motive entirely. She probably had the same idea, because in an instant, our lips were all over each other, sucking, biting, our breathing escalating. I clawed at her hips, trying to bring her closer to me as I fucking smashed her against the door with my body. Our lips and tongues worked in tandem, taking greedily from each other. The anger I felt inside only fueled me more, and I grabbed her thigh, wrapping it around my hip as I pushed my now straining erection into her. She pulled away from my lips and breathed out a moan. I trailed my tongue from her jaw to her neck, sucking the skin into my mouth as hard as I could. She began to grab at my shirt, fisting it and pulling it as I branded her, marked her as mine. When I was satisfied, I pulled back and captured her lips hungrily again, our teeth clacking, my tongue shoving its way into her hot mouth.

I grabbed a hold of her ass, squeezing it harshly before sliding both hands to the back of her thighs. I picked her up off the ground and she wrapped her legs tightly around my waist, as if holding on for dear life. I growled into her mouth and she matched it with a whispered moan as I pulled away from the door and began to walk us over to the desk. I was so wrapped up in her sexy as fuck hips gyrating against mine, that I almost fucking crashed into the desk. I set her feet on the ground and pushed absolutely every goddamn thing off the surface and onto the floor, except for the computer. All the bills, flyers, everything, dropped to the ground in a loud and sudden crash. Normally, that would fucking bug the shit out of me, but right now, did I fucking care? Fuck. No.

I wrapped my hands greedily around her waist and sat her on the desk. Digging my fingers into her knees, I pushed them apart and stepped in between her legs, my dick perfectly lining up with her pussy that was fucking radiating her warm arousal even through her jeans. I took out the band holding up her hair, throwing it blindly behind her, and pushed my fingers into her soft waves as it spilled out onto my hands. I fisted it at the roots and yanked her head to the side so I could lean into her ear.

"I'm going to fucking teach you not to stomp on my foot again," I seethed in a whisper, and sucked her earlobe between my teeth.

I felt possessed, fucking out of control. I was on goddamn edge, not just from her little stomping on my foot episode, but from all the fucking teasing this woman had been doing to me since the first fucking moment I met her. My lust for her had only grown more and more, and now, I was bursting at the seams to have her. I wanted her—needed her—right this fucking second.

She reached behind me and grabbed my ass, pressing my dick further against her. "Maybe you should just shut the fuck up or I'll—"

Before she could even finish, I pushed her back onto the desk and hovered over her. My lips crashed to hers again and I pinned her arms above her head one by one. Grabbing both wrists with one hand, I used the other to feel down the side of her body, starting from her arms down to her waist and to her thighs. From there, I raked my fingers slowly up towards her heat, emitting a groan from her. Her legs fell open even more, and my fingers found her hot center, fucking begging me to touch it. I lightly traced a circle on her inner thigh, dangerously close to where I actually wanted to touch her. She wriggled beneath me, angling her hips further down the desk so that my fingers came into contact with her. She was a fucking impatient girl tonight. I gave her what she wanted and dragged my index finger up the inseam of her jeans, to directly over her clit. Her breathing escalated and I pulled my mouth from hers to suck at the hollow below her ear.

I began to rub her through her jeans slowly while she ground her hips into my hands, but the contact wasn't enough. I needed more. I needed to feel her slick fucking heat beneath my fingers as I brought her to ecstasy, as I made her forget her own fucking name. I removed my hand, causing her to groan loudly, and began to make work of the fly on her jeans. I lifted her hips off the desk and yanked the denim down to her ankles, her shoes preventing me from taking them completely off. She lay in front of me in fucking black lace panties, making me want to fucking come in my pants at the sight. As much as I loved them and wanted to fucking rub my face in them, they needed to goddamn come off. _Now_. Without further delay, I hooked my fingers into the top of them and dragged them all the way down her long, smooth legs to her ankles, leaving her completely fucking exposed to me. Holy fuck. She was bare. And she was glistening with her arousal. My kind of woman.

She laughed, and my eyes shot up to her. She was looking at me with a fucking smug look. She wasn't going to be smug in a minute, guaranteed. I stepped around her legs and hovered over her body again. I brushed my lips back and forth over hers lightly and snaked a hand down to her pussy. As soon as my finger made contact with her drenched core, she whimpered, and I emitted my own smug smile. I slid my finger between her slippery folds and to her swollen bundle of nerves. She shifted on the desk, clearly wanting me to hurry up, so I bit down on her neck, distracting her. She moaned loudly and wound her fingers into my hair, scraping her nails against my scalp. I shut my eyes and allowed my head to drop to her chest. That felt so fucking good. She pulled on my hair roughly, and I grunted loudly into her tits, rubbing my nose into her cleavage.

I began to trace around her clit, teasing her. Her hips bucked in impatience and I chuckled. When I rubbed her swollen nub, she cursed loudly, making me want to tear off my pants and fucking slam my cock into her. She writhed and moaned beneath me while I worked over her, breathing heavily into her chest. I scraped my teeth over the swell of her breasts and bit down, then snaked my tongue out to soothe the skin. She reacted by fisting my hair harder, which only made me groan and rub her faster. I looked up to see her eyes screwed tight, her lips slightly parted. She removed her hands from my hair and wrapped her fingers around the edge of the desk above her head. She bit her lip and started to move her hips in time with the movement of my finger. When her chest began to rise and fall quicker and her breath became more ragged, I could tell she was getting close. I captured her lips, getting ready to swallow her cries when she came. She opened her mouth, allowing her sweet breath to wash over me, and I took advantage by slithering my tongue into her warm mouth in search for hers. She began to moan in short, consecutive bursts, and I swallowed them all one by one.

Before long, she grabbed onto my shirt and lifted her hips, crying out loudly as she came. I slid my finger down to her entrance and dipped in once, collecting her juices on my finger, then brought it up to her full lips, coating them before I slipped it into her mouth for her to suck on. With her eyes still closed, she sucked and licked on my finger—which was the hottest fucking thing ever—before releasing it and letting her head fall back against the desk, fully spent. However, I wasn't quite done here; after all, I had a fucking problem of my own, if she didn't fucking notice. I removed one of her hands from holding onto my shirt with a vice grip and began to drag it down my body towards my erection. I uncurled her fingers, flattening them, and placed her palm firmly on my cock through my pants. God, that felt so fucking good to have her touch me there. My dick felt on fire as I pressed her hand into it. But, in a flash, her body went rigid and her eyes snapped wide open.

Without any sort of warning, she yanked her hand away as if my dick had fucking bit her.

"What are you doing?" I rasped out, my voice strained from being so fucking turned on.

She swiftly maneuvered herself out from under me and began to pull up her panties and pants, not looking at me once.

"Bella," I said, wondering what the fuck was happening.

I could hear her breathing escalate as she buttoned up her jeans. When she was done, she sprinted to the door. I looked at her incredulously.

"Bella?" I questioned, but she didn't reply.

She swung open the door, and the last thing I saw was her hair flying behind her as she ran the fuck out of my office. What the hell was that? I was in fucking pain from being so worked up, and she just left! But more than that, I was just plain pissed that she fucking abandoned me without saying a word.

I quickly ran out of my office to follow her. She'd already gotten a head start, but I was fucking fast and I knew I'd catch up to her. As I walked out onto the club floor, the band was still going, the loud music ringing in my ears as I searched around quickly for her. And there she was, my eyes zeroing in on her immediately. Her hair was fucking hard to miss. She was running towards the exit and I dodged people left and right, trying to make it to her before she ran out of the club. I was just about to reach her, when a fucking tall ass guy stepped in front of me, making me knock over his fucking drinks all on the floor.

"Hey, watch where you're fucking going, you douchebag!" the guy barked, and moved past me.

I groaned and reminded myself to throw his ass out afterwards. Pushing that out of my mind, I began to move again to the exit, when I noticed she was already gone. I reached the doors and stepped outside into the cold Seattle evening air. My eyes caught sight of her on the other side of the street, running into Touch&Go. I stopped in my tracks completely and narrowed my eyes in suspicion. Why was she fucking going in there? I remained staring at the stupid club for a few minutes, debating whether I should run in after her, but then decided against it. I turned around and walked back into the club, the loud music washing over me again. I made my way back over to the VIP section and saw Jasper sitting there with two beer bottles in hand.

"There you are," he said, standing up to hand me one. "Wasn't sure where you went off to."

I took the beer and sat down, bringing it up to my lips. As I took a sip, I told myself I was going to sit here and fucking enjoy this band because I fucking earned it, and I'd cast aside the fact that Bella was running away from me and into the club across the street. But I'd only forget about it…for now.

* * *

**A/N: **

**I'm all pooped out from my first author's note at the top, so I don't have much to say now except that I hope you enjoyed what happened. :-p By the way, this isn't one of those one step forward, two steps back sort of situations. The story will move forward.  
**

**I feel like doing some recs of fics that I've read this week. **

_**Evading Edward**_** by ****VampiresHaveLaws**

**If you like those angsty fics where you're tortured by an indecisive Edward who really likes Bella but can't seem to own up to it, then this is for you. So lovin' it. Definitely one of my favorites right now.**

_**Take the Ice**_** by ****bellamarie117**

**I was in need of some romance after all the angst I've been reading lately. This hit that spot wonderfully. Edward is beyond perfect. No lie. It's not even those corny perfect Edwards in certain fics that I will not mention. This Edward is more realistic. *sigh***

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**

**

* * *

**

**The contest "Gotta Love a Man in Uniform" I'm hosting with coachlady1, MizzezPattinson, and Cars1 is still going and accepting entries. If you have a good Edward in mind dressed in a uniform having hot smutty sex, then this is definitely up your alley. Go here for contest details: **

_**www . twifichof . wordpress . com**_

**I love Uniformward._  
_**


	22. Evolve

**A/N: **

**Nothing to say, for once. I'll just let you read.**

**Beta is Lindz26 and she got this back to me so quick. I was late in finishing this chapter and didn't think I'd be able to post today, but she's just that good.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward and Jasper are buddies. Bella and Edward had an interesting time on his office desk after an argument.

* * *

**

**~*EVOLVE*~  
*BELLA***

I walked as fast as I could as I entered my desolate club, not evening chancing a glance at the pathetic lack of customers. I ran across the floor and into the small hallway that housed my office. My feet were like sludge as I quickened my steps, feeling like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. My cheeks were flushed, my breathing was uneven, and I could still taste myself on my lips. When I shoved open my office door, I wanted to run inside, but quickly halted in my spot. What I saw was enough to make me scream…and so I did. Loud.

"OH MY GOD!" I yelled after I'd had enough screaming my guts out.

Rose was currently straddling a man in the swivel chair, half naked, leaving her in just a white see through bra and a very short black skirt as her top laid discarded on the cold floor. She looked over her shoulder at me, her eyes growing wide. Her body shielded the man she was with, but when she flew off and grabbed her shirt, I calmed down considerably. _Oh, it's just Emmett, _I thought in relief.

Then a realization hit me like a ton of bricks, and I began to panic. It was _Emmett_. In our office. In our swivel chair. In our _club_! That was when the screaming started up again.

"Stop screaming!" Rose yelled, covering her ears after she put on her top.

I stared at her, wide-eyed, but pointed to Emmett. "He—He…," I stuttered hysterically. "What is he doing here?"

Emmett stood, putting his hands up as if I were a crazed robber with a loaded 9mm gun while I kept a group of hostages in a bank. "Alright, calm down, Bella—" he started, before I cut him off.

"No!" I shouted. "What the hell is going on?"

Now Rose was holding her hands up, as well. Maybe I really was carrying a gun. I was too angry to check, especially because my crazed filled eyes were currently searing a hole through Rose.

"Okay, Bella," Rose started hesitantly, as if trying to diffuse the situation, "you promise you're not going to be mad?"

"That's a question for when someone knows someone is going to be mad and just says that to save their own ass!" I accused.

"It's not—!" Rose started to exclaim, but then stopped herself, looking as if she got lost in her own thoughts. I guess she realized I was right. Of course I was right. She shook her head. "I _may _have told Emmett one or two things about what you're doing with Edward."

"Wait, what?" I questioned, not totally getting it just yet. Then I did. "WAIT, _WHAT_?" My tone was much higher than before. I looked at Emmett, who was fucking smirking at me! "You told him one or two things?" I was blinking like, eighty miles per minute, shaking my head. If anyone would've come in, they would've thought I was having some sort of epileptic convulsion. Actually, I probably was.

Rose gave me a very guilty look, which made me know she was so fucking full of shit. "Okay, I told him everything," she breathed out in one dramatic breath, as if she had been holding it back for ages and ages and ages—that sneaky bitch!

"What the hell do you mean by everything?" I inquired with narrowed eyes. I was going to go ballistic if it was the "everything" I feared.

Emmett walked around the desk and stood directly next to me as I continued my piss-in-your-pants glare at her. "Don't worry; it's not that big of a deal," Emmett assured, and then leaned down near my ear. "_Isabella Swan_."

That was all I needed to hear before I yelled at the top of my lungs and began to lunge at Rose. She screwed her eyes shut and screamed, stumbling backwards into the filing cabinet behind her that rumbled when her body collided with it. I was just one second away from her, when Emmett suddenly scooped me up in his arms into the air in some sort of fucking Superman position. I flailed my arms and legs, trying to get at her.

"Traitor!" I choked at Rose, not able to breathe because Emmett's arms were currently digging into my ribs as he held me up.

"If you just let me—" Rose began to say.

"Traitor!" I yelled again, cutting her off. I worked even harder to get out of Emmett's arms and to her. I couldn't believe she'd told him _everything—_the plan, my identity. How could she?

When I began to grow tired of trying to get out of this freakishly strong man's arms, I let my body go limp in exhaustion, breathing like I'd just attempted to outrun Usain Bolt at the Olympics.

"Are we done yet?" Emmett asked me.

"Yes," I answered, defeated.

"Alright, I'm setting you down now, but let's try to leave Rose in one piece, please," he suggested calmly.

"Fine," I grumbled in agreement, and he set my feet down on the floor. I righted my top that had ridden up, and crossed my arms over my chest. I was very displeased.

"You're mad," Rose affirmed.

"You could say that," I said, turning my nose up at her snobbishly. "How long has he known?"

She shifted on her feet. "Since Tuesday," she mumbled very quietly, as if saying it softer would make me any less angry.

"You told him on _Tuesday_? So, when Edward and I were at the bank and I thought he left me there, or when I spent the night with him, Emmett knew the entire time?" I asked, finding it hard to wrap my mind around.

"Yeah, pretty much," Emmett confirmed for her. "And if you're wondering if I told him anything, the answer is no."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Why?" I questioned. I found this very hard to believe. "Why wouldn't you tell him? That doesn't even make any sense."

He rolled his eyes. "As close as Edward and I are, I don't tell my brother everything." He smiled. "Plus, it's fucking hilarious."

I gawked at him as if he had two heads. "It's hilarious that I'm lying to your brother, trying to get him to change so I can humiliate him?" Hearing what I was doing out loud seemed pretty shitty, even to me…and I was the one doing it!

He shrugged as the corners of his mouth turned up playfully. "It's all in good fun."

To him, maybe. This wasn't fun for me. It was fucking revenge.

"If it helps, Emmett told me everything about Edward, too," Rose admitted.

"Yeah, that doesn't really help at all," I said honestly. "In fact, that just makes me think you both are pointing and laughing at us behind our backs."

"No, no, we're not pointing and laughing at you," Emmett assured, then smirked. "Just Edward." I blinked once—twice—three times. For some reason, that admission pissed me off a bit. I felt the strong need to defend Edward. But even with this urge, I tried to keep my mouth shut about it. "What he did to you in high school was pretty shitty. I think you're justified in wanting to get back at him a bit, but…" He looked at Rose, as if searching for permission. She shrugged.

"But, what?" I questioned, looking at both of them as they had some sort of weird silent conversation with their eyes. I didn't want to be there when they had sex. God only knew what they would say with their eyes during that time. The thought alone made me cringe.

Looking confident, Emmett turned his head away from Rose and back to me. "But…you liked him in high school, correct?" he inquired.

"Yeah…" I replied in suspicion, already not liking where this was going.

"And you gotta know he's falling for you now, right?" he asked.

I shifted my eyes a bit. "I figured as much, but I wasn't sure…" I trailed off.

"Oh," he chuckled. "No, he's falling for you, alright. I think even he knows it." I didn't answer this as I pursed my lips in thought. The fact that he could possibly know that he was falling for me was…well, it was what I'd originally hoped for, but to be honest, it was making me feel a bit nauseous right now. "Anyway, as I was saying, you liked him in high school and he really likes you now. So, don't you think that maybe you two can just date for real?"

My eyebrows shot up. "Excuse me?" I questioned, beginning to get angry again.

"I know I've been a bit inconsiderate with women in the past, so I'm not one to talk, but what Edward did with women was—I think—ten times worse than what I ever did, but now, he appears to want to give that up for you. It just seems that you two are a lot alike in more ways than you realize and could be pretty great for each other."

I stared at him, stunned, and then looked at Rose, who currently found the floor very interesting. "And you think this, too?" I asked her.

"Well…" she trailed off, looking anywhere but at me.

"Oh, come on, babe," Emmett egged her on. "You know you've said that you think she's falling for him, as well."

"What?" I shrieked, my cheeks flaming and my body going rigid. This was ridiculous—absolutely, one hundred percent, inaccurate. I laughed at the notion. "You think I'm _falling_ for him?" They looked at each other as if worried. "I'm not."

"So, you're not even falling for him a little?" Emmett asked.

I stopped laughing. Okay, this was just beginning to piss me off now. "I'm not falling for him, _period_." I wasn't sure why, but the sudden memory of him and me at the park flew into my head—us kissing, laughing, holding hands. I swallowed thickly and tossed it out of my mind. "Why would I fall for someone who basically rejected me?" It was a plausible question.

"But he's not rejecting you _now_," Emmett reasoned.

"Em," Rose scolded.

"What?" he asked her. "I'm just saying."

"That's because he doesn't know who I really am," I argued.

"I think even if he knew who you were, he'd—" Emmett began to say.

"_Emmett_," Rose scolded again, cutting him off.

"Enough!" I exclaimed. I shook my head, trying to forget this conversation ever existed. "Let's just drop this, please." I pointed to Rose. "But you—I'm pissed at you, and that's not going to change."

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, it's not like Em's going to tell the dickhead."

Emmett laughed and walked around the desk to the swivel chair. "Yeah, I won't. It's been fun watching him squirm." He sat down and leaned back comfortably, like he lived here.

"Get out of our chair!" I yelled.

He rotated the chair side to side. "No way, this is much better than ours," he remarked, and looked at the computer. He moved the mouse and clicked some stuff. "Your email's up. Want me to click out—?" He abruptly stopped talking and leaned in closer to the screen. "Oh, what's this?"

"What?" Rose asked, walking to his side.

"Our club sent you an email," he said, sounding a bit confused. "It's dated a couple days ago." He laughed heartily. "Is this Edward? He's such a turd. It says that he hopes you enjoy alcohol, because on Sunday—I guess that's today—you're going to have copious amounts of it due to lack of business." I groaned, flaring my nostrils. "And he also suggests here that you take up alcoholism in the future because after today, Satyr is going to be much more lucrative than Touch&Go."

"Yeah, turd is not the right word. Conceited dick is more like it," Rose corrected.

"Yeah, I inherited all the good traits," Emmett said, chuckling. I rolled my eyes. Emmett began typing something.

"What are you doing?" Rose questioned, and then gasped. "Don't send that!"

Emmett clicked the mouse. "Too late," he said. "Hey, Bella, are you hairy?"

I grimaced. "What?"

He laughed. "You've got a spam email with the subject title of 'Are you hairy?'" He clicked the mouse. "I'm sending that to him, too. God knows, he needs it." He stood and wrapped his arm around Rose's waist. "Alright, I need to go check on Satyr. You two wanna come?"

I shook my head vehemently. "No, thank you," I answered, my throat feeling tight all of a sudden.

Rose looked at me warily. "Uhh… then, I think I should probably stay with Bella."

"No, it's fine, you go," I urged. I just wanted to be alone, anyway.

"But…" she started to say.

"I said go. Don't worry about it," I assured. "I'll still bitch at you later. I promise." I smirked at her.

She laughed. "Okay, but only if you promise."

I nodded and we all walked out of the office. They both exited the club, while I went over to the bar and took a seat on one of the stools—one of the many empty stools because hardly anyone was here. I planted my forehead on the counter, letting the cool surface soothe my skin.

"You okay?" a familiar male voice asked me.

I kept my forehead down. "Yep," I asked, and then sighed as I lifted my head up begrudgingly. Jacob was standing behind the bar, cleaning a glass with a cloth as he watched me curiously.

"Could've fooled me," he commented. He looked around the club, and then smiled. "Great crowd we got here."

I rolled my eyes. "Give me one of those green thingies you make."

He chuckled. "A French Green Dragon, coming right up," he said, and disappeared to make it.

I rested my chin on my fist, sagging in my seat. I thought of Jasper and how pissed I was at him. Every Sunday since we were kids, we'd get together and hang out while we watched TV. He _knew_ this, and yet, he totally bailed on me. Mind you, I didn't spend last Sunday with him, but this was different! He was clearly doing it to piss me off, and now I knew why.

When I'd realized Jasper wasn't going to come over to my house after waiting two hours for him, I became enraged and called him. He forwarded my call to voicemail—which angered me even more—so I called Alice. She'd just gotten off the phone with him and said that he was going to Satyr to watch some band. Incensed and ready to confront him, I threw my ass in the car. Deciding to check on my club before going over to Satyr, I was shocked to see that there were barely any fucking people even here. It was absolutely pathetic. My employees were looking at me like they had no clue what the hell do to do, and I was just completely baffled at how we could have so few customers. So, when I went over to Satyr and saw how completely packed it was, I was beyond livid. I knew instantly that it was Edward's doing. He'd been trying to bring my club down from the start. Changing course, I decided to look for him instead and fucking give him a piece of my mind, not thinking rationally at all. He was, of course, in VIP, just leisurely sitting, enjoying himself while I felt like massacring everything in sight. But upon seeing who he was with, I completely froze.

He was with _Jasper_.

They were sitting as if they'd been buddies forever, like I didn't fucking even exist. I immediately verbally attacked Jasper, telling him how I'd waited for him and he had been at the club instead of with me like we'd always been for every goddamn Sunday since we were kids—again, except last Sunday, which wasn't even a big deal, anyway. But to him, it was, apparently. He accused me of being a hypocrite, saying that I could miss Sundays, but he couldn't. That was ludicrous! He could fucking miss any goddamn Sunday he wanted, I just wanted him to tell me where he was going, what he was doing, and who he was doing it with. Was that too much to ask? No! Well, he disagreed with this, as well, and said I had issues. Issues! He was completely off his rocker, ditching me to hang out with someone who didn't even like him. God. And since when were Edward and Jasper friends? I mean, what the fuck? That wasn't fucking good at all, at least not for me.

I continued to fling accusations at Jasper, saying he'd been avoiding me for a couple of days now for no reason. He said he had his reasons. I laughed in his face and challenged him to tell me what exactly those reasons were, because I bet they were stupid and trivial. But they weren't at all. He revealed that he knew I'd been calling him my ex-boyfriend. I was stunned, to say the least. I had no clue how he'd found that out or how to respond to him, because it was the complete truth. However, the whole thing only angered me more, and at that point, I was just picking a fight with him to satisfy my own ego, even though I knew he was right in many cases.

Then, there was Edward.

He had the balls to tell _me_—one of the owners of Touch&Go—that he'd brought a stupid talentless band into his club because it emptied out mine. He'd fucking sabotaged my club!

Since the first day Satyr went up, all Edward had tried to do was bring us down and he fucking knew it. Satyr could've gone up anywhere in town, but no, they had to pick the fucking spot across the street. By then, I was completely enraged with him. The words were just flying out of my mouth and I didn't even filter most of what I was saying, even though in the back of my mind, I knew I was screwing myself over. I just didn't give a damn. I wanted him to know that he was ruining my life by purposefully trying to put my club out of business. So, yeah, I stomped on his foot. It felt fucking good, too. It was liberating and…God…I'd wanted to do that since forever. But when I tried to do it again, he hauled me across the club. I barely even had enough time to protest before I was being thrown in his office and shoved up against the door. When he did that, all I wanted to do was slap him hard across the face, push him off me, and get the fuck out of there, but…feeling his hard body pressed against me, and seeing his intense green eyes boring into mine, it completely threw me off track in the worst way.

Apparently, my desires for Edward had never fully been squashed—suppressed, yes, but not gone. A hurricane of lust whirled inside me at him being so close, and before I knew it, we were kissing as if there'd be no tomorrow—mouths open, tongues searching. Our hands were all over each other and his arousal was pressed so hard against me, I couldn't even think straight. I was so far gone, lost in the sensations of his hard, rough touch.

Before long, he had me writhing underneath him, whimpering and moaning from the talented work of his fingers. I had no clue how the fuck it had happened or how I'd let it, so when it was all over, and I was coming down from my incredible euphoria, I slowly began to panic. Edward placed my hand over his fucking big as hell bulge in his pants, and then I knew what the fuck was going to happen next. Either he'd expect me to touch him, or we'd end up fucking on his desk. In a fifty percent chance, it would require us to go all the way, which I couldn't do yet with him. I also didn't think I could touch him, either, even though a part of me really wanted to. But that was what fucking scared me. I _wanted _to touch Edward. Fucking badly. Feeling frazzled and ashamed, I ran the fuck out of there, leaving him behind, aroused and bemused. I had no clue how I was going to be able to face him after this.

I dropped my head onto the counter again, trying to dispel my sordid thoughts from my head.

"Here's your drink," I heard Jacob say.

I waved a hand in the air in acknowledgment, since I couldn't see him. "Thanks," I mumbled.

"Wanna talk about it?" he questioned.

"Nope," I answered simply, and lifted my head. I took the French Green Dragon and guzzled half of it down.

"Easy there," he urged, chuckling.

I set the glass on the counter and slid it over to him, having had enough. Edward was right in his email. I should take up alcoholism. It would be a lot easier to handle this all if I was completely trashed.

Resigned, I sighed and hopped off the stool. I needed to go home now and just sleep. Maybe tomorrow, everything would seem less complicated.

I made my way back to my office to get my purse. As I approached the office door, I noticed that it was slightly open. I was sure I'd shut it when I left with Rose and Emmett. Maybe I hadn't. My mind was so scattered right now, that I'd probably forgotten to close it completely. But when I pushed it open and saw Marcus bent over the swivel chair, reading something on the computer, I furrowed my brow.

"What are you doing here?" I questioned. Marcus had no reason to be in here tonight.

Taken aback, he stood up straight and walked around the desk. "Oh, I was just checking something before I went home," he answered, and moved past me to the door. "Will I see you tomorrow?" I merely nodded at him. "Good. See you then." He exited hurriedly, leaving the door wide open.

I moved around the desk and looked at the computer. The desktop was up, but something had been minimized. I clicked it, and it brought up the daily intake spreadsheet. I pursed my lips. I'd found it odd that he was in here, but he was allowed to look at the daily intake spreadsheet. After all, he was the manager. I shrugged it off, but was still not calmed. Today's profit was completely in red, meaning we didn't make any profit; in fact, we were severely under our goal for today.

"This is bad," I mused to myself. "This is really bad."

Looking at the days at a glance, since we opened the club, the amount of money we were making was slowly decreasing with each day, except for today, which was a humongous plummet. If things kept up the same way here, we'd be out of business very shortly.

We'd have no choice but to sell the club.

X-X-X-X

I stepped into the elevator and rested my head back against the wall as I sighed. Today had been a long day and I wanted to get into my pajamas so badly, and then hit the hay. But as the elevator door opened and I stepped out into the hallway, I stopped, and had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing correctly.

Edward was leaning up against the frame of my door with his arms crossed in front of him, staring at me with a look that would most likely leave me in a pile of ash on the floor. What was he doing here? Maybe he hadn't actually seen me. Maybe I could slowly back up into the elevator and leave. He raised an eyebrow at me. No…he definitely saw me. Damnit. What the fuck was I going to do? I wasn't ready to see him—not yet, at least. It was hard enough thinking about him and what happened earlier, but now I had to look at him, too?

I cleared my throat and walked up to my door, trying not to acknowledge he was there, even though he knew that I saw him. I could feel his eyes on me and the heat radiating from his body as I pushed the key into the lock and turned. My cheeks burned with color as I recalled that not too long ago, he'd touched me and seen me in my most vulnerable state. I quickly tossed that out of my mind and stepped into my apartment. He remained in his spot in the hallway, not following me in. What the hell should I do? Close the door? Keep it open? He was obviously here to see me, no doubt, but was he just going to stand there and stare at me all night. I definitely wasn't going to invite him in…I didn't think I could get the guts to speak at this point. So, I made a split decision and left the door wide open.

I left him and nervously walked into the kitchen. I really had no reason to be in here, but I didn't know what else to do. I certainly couldn't go into my bedroom and get into my pajamas like I'd planned originally.

I heard the front door shut, and my breathing became heavy. Was he here or did he go? I stood in front of the sink and listened for footsteps, but I couldn't hear anything, probably because we had carpet. Damn! Whoever invented carpet needed to be shot. Didn't they ever think that maybe by having carpet that you couldn't hear when there was a burglar in your house, or a serial killer, or Emmett sneaking out from Rose's room at one in the morning to eat our cake? I loved that cake, too.

I turned my head and saw Edward leaning against the entryway of the kitchen. Gah! I jumped a little in fright. He was just staring at me again. What was his deal? Oh, right…I abandoned him after he gave me an amazing orgasm. God. Was this some sort of technique to make me crack under pressure like cops did when interrogating criminals? Was that what I was now, a criminal? The way he was looking at me, I felt like I'd done something extremely bad.

He took a few steps towards me, as I continued to stand in front of the sink. I dodged my eyes away, not wanting to look at him.

"We gonna talk?" he questioned in a low voice.

Oh crap. Did he have to ask a question? Now I was obligated to answer. "What's there to talk about?" I asked back. Shit! Why did I ask a question? Now _he _was obligated to answer.

"Don't you think we should discuss what happened earlier?"

Fuck! Now he asked a question. Could we really spend the entire conversation just asking questions? "No," I answered simply. There…maybe he didn't have to talk now that I didn't ask a question.

"No?" he inquired.

_Damn! _

I groaned and walked around him. "No, I don't really feel like it," I said, and entered the living room.

"Well, you better feel like it now," he said, following me out, "because I wanna know what the hell got into you." He paused, when I didn't reply. "Alright, let's start easy, then. What were you arguing about with Jasper?"

Well, that was definitely easy and didn't involve too many lies—the keyword being _too_. "He didn't show up for our TV watching date," I blurted. Fuck! Why did I say date?

"_Date_?" he questioned, looking a bit pissed.

"We get together every Sunday and watch TV," I replied with a casual shrug, trying to brush it off as best as I could.

"And did it upset you that he was with me instead?" he asked.

It did bend me out of shape when I saw them together, but I couldn't say that. "No, I was mad that he had skipped out on me."

He squinted his eyes a bit, and I wondered what the hell was on his mind. I hated not knowing. He took a few steps and sat down on the couch, while I remained standing awkwardly.

"And so you felt you should yell at me for how I run my club?" he queried.

I could feel myself getting mad again because he was bringing this up, but I knew I had to calm down otherwise I'd open my mouth like I had earlier and say way too much out of anger. I needed to get him off this subject before I let it spill about why I'd been yelling at him for having a band at his club…even if that meant talking about the dreaded topic I knew he was really here for.

"Alright, Edward," I said in a sigh. "Just get to it."

He arched an eyebrow and brought up his ankle to rest on his knee. "Get to what, exactly?"

"Goddamnit! Stop asking so many questions!" I exclaimed. Seriously, it was annoying the hell of me.

He stood swiftly, staring down at me. "Okay, then. I wanna know why you ran out on me after I fingered you." My eyes went wide. Goodness, I hadn't expected him to be so blunt. "You said to get to it, did you not?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Maybe things are just moving a little too fast for me," I replied, and that was the absolute truth. I couldn't seem to stop myself when he kissed me and touched me like he had earlier. If my brain hadn't kicked in, I would've let him go all the way with me. This needed to stop. I couldn't be tempted.

His expression grew a bit softer and he looked away. He sat down on the couch slowly. "So, you didn't leave because you'd changed your mind about us?"

I stared at him. Was that what he thought? That I ran out of there because I didn't want to see him again? "No," I corrected instantly. "I haven't changed my mind about us…" I sighed and walked over to him, and he raised his eyes to mine, looking as if he'd been rejected. I sat down next to him with one leg bent underneath me so I could face him. "But it was too fast too soon."

He grabbed my hand and set it in his lap as he played with my fingers. "I didn't think of that…I'm sorry."

I laughed humorlessly. "You're sorry?" I questioned. "I'm the one that should be sorry. I just got scared and had to get out. And it wasn't like I tried to stop you _during_…"

He smirked. "You're right. You didn't." His eyes roamed my face. "I promise I won't push you. We'll go at your pace." He brought my hand up to his lips and kissed my knuckles.

I nodded, relieved, and leaned in to gently place a kiss on his lips…but I lingered a bit too long, and suddenly, I was feeling the temptation again. I pressed more kisses against his unmoving mouth and tried to move in closer, until he wrapped his hands around my arms and pushed me back a bit.

"That's not helping, Bella," he said, his voice sounding strained.

"Right," I breathed, and shook my head. This was going to be harder than I realized. Did that mean we couldn't kiss? The idea of that didn't make me too happy.

"Just give me time to get used to this."

I smiled. "Are you saying you need to go slow in order to go slow?"

He laughed and leaned back against the couch, stretching his arm out along the back. I scooted closer to him and rested my head against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, holding me close to him. I could feel his face press into my hair, and I closed my eyes.

"I could definitely get used to this," he said softly.

X-X-X-X

Now that Edward and I had an understanding that we wouldn't go further until I was ready, it was easier to move forward with him. We spent most of our time together over the next few days. He was a lot more fun when he wasn't thinking with his dick, and I was much more relaxed now that I wasn't thinking along the same lines—minus the dick.

I continued to plant little seeds into his head in order to make him think of me more romantically rather than sexually. It wasn't too difficult, to be honest. The picture frame was a great start and got him thinking about me before he went to bed and when he woke up. I noticed that he kept it right by his bedside, and Rose told me that was all her doing. She was so sneaky, and I ended up forgiving her just for that, because at the bottom of it all, I knew that she was on my side and that she supported me, even though she and Emmett had formed some sort of united front, telling each other secrets and whatnot like two middle schoolers. Emmett was still trying to throw ideas at me that I was actually feeling more for Edward then I let on. Yeah, right. Emmett was delusional. Even though spending more time with Edward was showing me a different side of him, a much lighter side, it still didn't mean a thing. At the bottom of it all, he was still the same person who messed around with women's emotions, and who'd humiliated me in the process. Tricking him into changing was the only way to get him back, to make him see what he did was wrong. Maybe, out of all of this, he'd learn a valuable lesson.

However, while all my plans with Edward were going on, there was a major problem. Our club was going down the toilet—majorly. We didn't know what to do. Having things like Testosterone Tuesday helped for one day, but not in the long run. We couldn't seem to figure out how to get more customers for the long haul. It was frustrating and heartbreaking, because we'd worked so damn hard to keep the club alive and now it was falling to pieces while Satyr appeared to be thriving. We tried to brainstorm ideas on how to fix our issue, but it seemed like a bit of a hopeless case.

"What about bringing in a DJ with a following?" Rose questioned as we sat around in our office.

"Where are we going to find a DJ with a following that doesn't already work at a club?" I asked.

"Well, we give them extra money to come over to us instead," Rose answered.

"With what money, exactly?" Alice chimed in. "We're_ losing_ money, and we need that extra to pay for our expenses.

Defeated, we fell into silence. We'd been at this for an hour now and we hadn't even remotely found a solution. The bottom line was that if we didn't think of something fast, our sinking ship was going to sink further.

"What about bringing down the cost of drinks?" Rose asked. "That's sure to bring in more people, right?"

"We could only bring prices down by a little, and even that won't help," Alice answered, looking fed up.

"Well, then, why don't you suggest something instead of tearing down all my ideas," Rose snapped.

"Jesus Christ, Rose, I'm not trying to tear down your ideas. I'm just being logical," Alice said haughtily.

"Yeah, there's being logical, and there's just being a bitch," Rose spat.

"Okay, stop, guys," I intervened in a sigh. We were all getting frustrated with not being able to come up with an answer and it was causing us to fight. This wasn't good.

"You want to know my suggestion? Fine. I think we should sell," Alice admitted.

"What?" Rose and I questioned incredulously at the same time.

"Alice, how could you say that?" I inquired. "We've worked so hard to start this club off. We can't just give up."

"Yes, but there comes a point where we might be fighting a losing battle. We can't persuade people to like our club if we don't have the funds to improve things around here," Alice explained. She was right. But selling? That just seemed like such a copout. "If we sell now, while the club still has some credibility left, then we can get a good price for it. If we wait until there's no more steam left, the value will go down and we'll get a lousy price."

I laughed bitterly. Here we were, deciding whether to sell or not, while Satyr stood strong and continued to flourish. And the clincher was that as soon as we would leave, their club would get even more business. How was that fair? It wasn't. They didn't deserve a dime, and they certainly didn't deserve our customers—what little we had left.

"I really do hate Satyr," I voiced my thoughts out loud.

"Yeah, but what can we do?" Rose questioned. "The band they had the other night really boosted their demographics."

"That was all Edward's doing, you know," I admitted. It was times like this where I hated him more than I already did. "That stupid band. He knew it would put us in the shitter."

Rose shrugged. "As much as I hate the guy, at least he was able to do something for his club to improve it. I mean, we can't do much of anything."

"Yeah, but he did it to make us go out of business," I countered.

"Regardless," Alice voiced, "it put them in the black, right? Even if it was done out of malice, it worked, and now we need to face what we should do and not worry about them."

I groaned and crossed my arms over my chest. This completely blew. While one thing in my life was going right—my plans for Edward—another thing was splitting at the seams right before my eyes. I was sure of one thing, though. If we did have to sell Touch&Go, I knew whose fault it would be…and I'd make sure that he got the brunt of our loss by destroying his heart. I would show no mercy.

* * *

**A/N: So, Bella's club is on the outs, and Emmett knows. The clues were there in past chapters that Emmett knew. A lot of you guessed right. Congrats.  
**

**For all you people who feel bad for Schemeward…Even though Bella has the advantage with their relationship, **_**he**_** has the advantage with the club. So, they both dominate in two different areas. I know a lot of you were getting upset that he hasn't been able to up Bella. How can he up her if he doesn't know that she's playing him? *smiles mischievously***

**A common question I've been getting lately is about how many chapters there are left. I've been doing some reworking, trying to combine chapters so that they're longer with more accomplished, so right now, I've got five chapters left plus an epilogue. However, this may change, but I'm trying to keep it like that as I write. **

**See ya next week!**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**


	23. Crux

**A/N: **

**You guys aren't liking Bella's club going under. So sorry to have to do that. **

**Thanks to my beta, Lindz26 for helping me out with this chapter. **

**Hate Me was nominated for an AH award under the category "Fanfiction with the most thought-out plot." Thank you so much to whoever did that and I'm honored you think my plot is thought-out. If you were the one who nominated me, please shoot me a message. **

**Be forewarned. Edward's thoughts in this chapter are slightly erratic. He goes back and forth many times with his emotions and it might give you as much whiplash as it did me. See you at the bottom…

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward confronted Bella after running out on him. Bella's club is in danger.

* * *

**

**~*CRUX*~  
*EDWARD***

Walking out of the liquor store, I smiled to myself. I had the wine and just needed to buy some wine glasses. Maybe she had some? Or I could just borrow some from the club, perhaps. I wasn't planning on going into the club today, but I supposed I could stop by. Angela was back now and Emmett and I weren't obligated to go in anymore. She seemed revived and not as hysterical as the last time I saw her. She got a haircut and lost the glasses she wore, and was rattling on about how she met some guy at the wedding and he was her soulmate and…blah, blah, blah. She talked my ear off for an hour about it. I'd stopped listening sometime around the first two minutes.

Today, I was organizing my date for tomorrow evening with Bella. I was going to surprise her with wine and…conversation. Yep, _conversation_. We were taking it slow now. Very, very…_very_…slow. It wasn't like I was against it, but I did have a dick, you know? How was I going to tame the beast when she was always around me with her perky tits and her round ass just waiting to be fondled by me? She was beautiful, of course, but since I had her that day in my office, I couldn't get her moans and the feel of her wet pussy out of my head. I wanted to do it again…soon...but she just about freaked out over it, so I couldn't and I cared about her too much to push her. I could be celibate with her…I hoped. She was staying over at her parents' house tonight so I wouldn't see her today, but tomorrow, I'd get to see her and I couldn't wait.

We'd been spending more time together over the last several days, just getting to know each other more. We had a lot more in common than I'd realized. Our interests and beliefs were much the same, which was surprising. And one thing I'd come to realize was that she wasn't like most other women. She wasn't finicky about how she looked or acted as a woman. She was who she was, and she didn't care that she watched stupid cartoons, or that she chewed on her hair without even realizing, or that she got hyper when she ate ice cream—she talked like one hundred miles per hour. It was cute, though, and not at all annoying. I was beginning to grow more attached to her, too. It was getting to the point where I needed to see her daily and talk to her on the phone every night before bed. If I had my way, I would just ask her to spend the night, but I knew where that would lead, and I didn't think I had the restraint to be able to stop myself if something were to start. All it would take was a simple kiss before my soldier was in full salute. Seriously. I'd never gone this long without sex before…it was hard. In more ways than one. But it didn't seem to matter anymore, because I was actually enjoying being with Bella in a completely different way.

I unlocked my Vanquish and pulled open the door. As soon as I hopped inside, I set the paper bag with my wine in it on the empty seat next to me. I put the keys in the ignition and brought the car to life, then, while the engine was purring, I pulled my seat belt across my chest and into the buckle, making it click. Shifting the gear into reverse, I glanced over my shoulder to see if any cars were passing. When it was all clear, I began to back out of the parking space. But I'd only gotten two inches out, when my Vanquish suddenly lurched forward with a resounding bang, jerking me into my steering wheel. Frantically, I shoved my foot on the brake pedal and shifted the gear into neutral.

"Shit!" I cursed, and undid my seat belt so I could get out of the car and see what the fuck happened.

As soon as I stepped out, I just about had a fucking heart attack. Some stupid, ugly gray van had reversed from the opposite parking spot into my fucking Vanquish! I was furious, and ready to fucking blow a gasket. I shut my door and walked around the front of my car, to the opposite side, so I could scream havoc on the driver of this big ass shit mobile. I passed the back of my Vanquish and nearly lost it. The tail lights were smashed in and there was a big dent on the rear bumper.

Just as I neared the driver's window, the car door flew open, and out hopped…_You've got to fucking be kidding me. _

"I know, I know, Dad! I fucking know!_ God_!"

Seth. That fucking little emo shithead. I was going to murder his ass.

He hadn't seen me yet, so I merely stood in my spot with my arms crossed in front of me.

"You and your damn curtains, Seth," a man yelled around the other side of the beast. "I told you to take them down from the back window!"

"I fucking heard you!" Seth screamed back, and then slammed his car door shut. When he turned around, and his eyes found mine, panic marred his expression before it quickly turned to rage.

I wanted to flambé his ass so badly, and I almost took a step towards him to do it, until a middle aged man stepped around the car looking flustered and infuriated. But he stopped in his tracks when he saw me.

"Oh…was that your car my son backed into?" the man asked, then glared at Seth.

His son? Oh ho ho…this was too good. He seemed angry at him just as much as I was. I put on a very impassive expression on my face for appearances sake. I could definitely use this situation to my advantage. "Yes, sir, it was," I answered, much kinder than I should've.

"Ha!" Seth spat angrily. "Your stupid car deserved to be pounded into!" Seth's dad swatted him over the back of his head, and Seth flinched. "Ow! Fuck, Dad…"

Seth's dad turned back to me. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm Harry Clearwater. My son—" he shot Seth a death glare "—wasn't watching where he was going."

"It's just fucking Cullen, Dad. He's a dickhead," Seth growled.

"Watch your mouth, boy," Harry said, and looked at me with recognition in his eyes. "Cullen? Which one?"

I furrowed my brow. What did he mean by _which one_? He looked as if he knew me or something. Either way, I didn't inquire and just decided to answer. "Edward Cullen, sir," I answered.

He nodded. "Well, Seth's van isn't on any insurance, but he's going to pay out of his own pocket for the damage he caused your car, I assure you."

"What?" Seth shrieked, his voice cracking. "With what money?"

"With that money you make from all those damn jobs of yours," Harry answered.

"I need that money to pay half of the rent with Leah!" Seth exclaimed.

"Then I guess you'll have to pick up another job," Harry said calmly.

I smiled devilishly as an idea popped into my head—an idea of the _century_. "Sir, if I could just suggest something…" I trailed off, in hopes that he would take the bait.

"Yes, of course," Harry agreed.

I smiled politely and glanced at Seth briefly, wanting to see his ugly face before I made my suggestion. His face was contorted in sheer fury as he stared me down. "I have a club not too far from here. Seth could volunteer and then he wouldn't have to pay off the damage with money."

"What. The. Fuck?" Seth growled. "I'm not fucking—"

Harry interrupted him by smacking him over the head again. "It'll do you good to shut up, boy. Mr. Cullen is offering you a generous deal, here."

I quickly flashed Seth a smirk before I looked back at Harry with the generosity I was bestowing on his poor, poor son.

Yeah, right. This was fucking payback.

"Of course, it'll only be until he works off the damage costs in full, and it's really no problem. We could always use the help," I said.

"Cullen is fucking rich, Dad! He doesn't need the money. He can just go buy a new gay ass car," Seth whined.

I fumed internally as he called my car gay. I was going to fucking make sure he choked on his words. He was right, though, I didn't actually need him to pay off the damage. I could just send my Vanquish into the body shop with hardly any hassle at all. It wasn't like I was starved for money.

"It doesn't matter what he has or doesn't have. You're going to work for Mr. Cullen," Harry instructed.

"No, Dad!" Seth yelled, almost desperately.

"Yes," Harry said simply, looking fed up and bored now.

"No! I'll do anything but that. Anything!" Seth tried to bargain.

"Don't worry, Seth…I don't bite," I assured with a sinister smile.

"When can he start?" Harry asked me. Seth groaned in defeat.

"He can start first thing tomorrow. I'd be…" I thought of the right word to say, "_delighted_ to have him there with me."

"You're much too kind. Seth doesn't deserve this treatment," Harry said.

I chuckled. This was amusing me so badly right now that I was almost glad my Vanquish got smashed in. Almost. "It's not a problem, sir. I'm just that kind of guy."

X-X-X-X

Today had been one of the best days in a while. Did you want to know why? Because there was a little shit head right now in my club working off the damage he'd done to my car by doing rigorous labor. I put him to work straight away. His first job was to sweep the dance floor, wash it, and then wax it. I gave him a very small rag to work with, too. And to commemorate this special occasion, I bought him a little gift—a hairnet.

"I'm not fucking wearing that shit, Cullen," Seth spat as he gripped tightly onto the broom handle.

"Yes, you will," I ordered, and placed it over his head. Surprisingly, he let me, probably because he knew that he had no other choice, and I relished in it. "Plus, it suits you, don't you think?"

"I swear to fucking God, Cullen. One day, you'll pay."

"Yeah, yeah," I said dismissively. "And for now, _you'll_ pay, starting with the floor. Next—the toilets."

His mouth fell open. "What? No fucking way!"

"Yes fucking way," I countered casually. "And Emmett had some Mexican food earlier, so you better be prepared for that." I wanted to laugh. This was fucking classic. His face paled considerably, and I thought he was going to puke any second. "Don't worry; you'll get used to the stench after a while."

"I'm not cleaning the damn toilets!" he barked.

I shrugged and reached into my back pocket, pulling out my cell phone as well as a little slip of paper. I began to press random buttons on my phone, before he stopped me.

"Okay, okay!" he exclaimed, and sighed. "I'll fucking clean the toilets."

I smiled. "That's the spirit," I encouraged, and put both the phone and paper back in my pocket. Harry had told me that if he gave trouble that I should call him. He wrote his number down on a piece of paper, and I'd take the phone out to threaten Seth with it when his mouth tended to run off—which was a lot. It worked every time.

He grumbled to himself and then began sweeping the floor. I smirked and left him to work. As much as I enjoyed watching him suffer, I needed a break and wanted to go relax in my office. When I sat down in my swivel chair, I let out a sigh of relief and propped my legs up on the desk. I thought about Bella for a moment. She was still at her parents' and probably wouldn't be back until later today. I missed the shit out of her. I wondered if she was thinking about me.

I shook my head…I was beginning to think like a damn chick.

To take my mind off the empty feeling I was having without her around, I grabbed the keyboard of my computer and propped it on my lap. I pulled up the club's email and sifted through all the spam, deleting one by one, until I landed on an email I wasn't expecting at all. I clicked on it, curious as hell.

x-x-x-x

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub . com  
Subject: Read me! It's urgent!  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle . com  
Date: Thu 3/22/10 9:23 PM  
-**_

**You make me so horny. I want to lick your halls. **

**Touch&Go**

x-x-x-x

My mouth fell open in shock. This was…_What?_ I read it again just to be sure I wasn't going insane. And what the fuck? They wanted to like my _halls_? What the hell was that?

"Weird ass bitches," I mumbled quietly to myself. They were probably just trying to mess with me because their club sucked. I smiled in triumph at that, and deleted the stupid email, not bothering to reply.

But as soon as I did, I noticed there was _another_ one from them. The subject line, however, was a little weird…

X-X-X-X

_**From: BAR(AT)touch&gonightclub . com  
Subject: FW: ARE YOU HAIRY?  
To: cullenbros(AT)satyrseattle . com  
Date: Thu 3/22/10 9:23 PM  
-**_

**Does your chest hair tend to get stuck in the zipper? Is your armpit hair long enough that you can braid it? Do you sometimes hear the word "yeti" whispered around you? **

**If you answered yes to any of those questions, you are qualified to receive a free laser hair removal treatment by us. Congratulations!**

**Just give us your bank account details and we'll set up an appointment straight away! **

**You can trust us.**

**Hair is Bad Inc.**_**  
One hair removed a day keeps the razor blade away.**_

X-X-X-X

I scowled. I was _not_ hairy. Not as hairy as Emmett, at least. And if anyone tried to call me yeti, I'd fucking backhand them, anyway.

I clicked out of the email and set the keyboard back on the desk. Leaning back in my chair, I got comfortable, enjoying my solitude. However, that didn't last. There was a loud, obnoxious knock at the door.

"What?" I questioned, annoyed. The door flew open to reveal a fed up looking Seth. That hairnet really did wonders for him.

"What do I use to wax the floor?" he questioned, his eyes narrowed.

"You have to clean the floor first with the rag, some soap, and water," I instructed.

He scoffed. "What does it matter if I fucking clean the floor? It's just going to get fucking dirty again!"

I rolled my eyes. "It's so that it looks nice for the customers, you idiot."

He looked away and started grumbling to himself. "This blows balls. I don't even want to fucking be here. I bet Bella's club doesn't do all this cleaning and waxing the floors shit."

I reacted to his words by quirking an eyebrow. Had I just heard him correctly? "Excuse me?" I questioned.

Suddenly, his eyes grew wide and frantic. He slapped a hand over his mouth and made a strained noise as he shook his head. He began to walk backwards out of the office. I quickly shot out of the chair towards him and he spun around, gearing to run, but I caught him by grabbing onto the back of his shirt, and yanked him further into my office.

"Let go of me!" he shouted, trying to wriggle out of my hold.

I walked with him around the desk and shoved him into the swivel chair, and then I hovered over him menacingly, wrapping both hands around the arms of the chair.

"What did you say?" I inquired, my tone low and threatening.

He shook his head vehemently, fear coursing through his eyes. "No, I didn't say nothing."

"You said _Bella's club_," I spoke slowly, my voice strained.

"No, I didn't!" he squeaked, blinking rapidly. I began to pull out my phone from my back pocket, acting as if to call his father. "No, no, wait! I told her I wouldn't tell you. I kept playing her that I would just so that she would do what I want, but I was never actually going to do anything. I just liked her and wanted to mess around with her—"

Fed up, I grabbed him by the collar and brought him about an inch away from my face, silencing him immediately. "You're going to tell me what the fuck you're talking about right now." I was so fucking on edge. My head was swimming and I couldn't even think clearly.

He squeezed his eyes shut as I breathed in his face. "You're not going to call my father?" he questioned with a small voice.

"Not if you don't starting talking. Do it quickly or I'll dial the number right this fucking—"

"Bella owns Touch&Go across the street and she's been messing with you because you're a _dick_—I mean, I didn't mean to say that! Don't call my father!"

I pushed him back, releasing his collar, and stood straight, running a hand over my face. I couldn't process my thoughts. I needed a fucking drink. "Make yourself useful and get me a fucking beer," I ordered angrily.

He quickly scuffled out of the chair and ran out of the office as if his ass was on fire. I remained in my spot, unthinking, unfeeling, until he came back. He hesitantly held the beer out to me and I snatched it from his hand. I uncapped the beer with the palm of my hand, threw the cap on the ground, and brought the bottle to my lips. I glugged that shit down until there was a fucking quarter of it left. When I set the beer on the desk, my thoughts became clearer, and I knew for certain—I was about ready to snap.

"Well, don't just fucking stand there. Go clean the goddamn floors," I barked at Seth.

Without a word, he sped out of the office, shutting the door behind him. Now that I was alone, and could think straight, I knew of one thing. I was a fucking idiot. All this goddamn time…it'd been her. Those emails…the few times I'd caught her at Touch&Go…How had I not seen it? How had I not fucking known? FUCK! The other day when she was yelling at me for having a band here…she was yelling because I was sabotaging _her_ club. _Her fucking club_!

I paced, back and forth, trying to walk off my incessant rambling thoughts. This was too fucking much. What did this mean? She'd known the whole time I owned Satyr? But why wouldn't she just tell me? Why would she keep this to herself? That fucking runt, Seth, said that she was _messing_ with me.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck!" I cursed, squeezing my eyes shut.

Fucking Touch&Go—I hated that place. I hated all three of them…

_Three…_Rose, Alice…and Bella.

Holy. Shit.

I slammed my fist down on the desk. Did Emmett fucking know about this? He would flip if he did. I was just about to have a coronary myself!

My breathing was erratic and I felt like I was going to pass out any second. I needed to talk to her. This was just some big ass joke, I knew it. Seth was a fucking douche and was most likely messing with me.

Yeah, this was a joke.

But I had to see her; I had to know…_Fuck_! This was fucking bullshit! My insides were twisting and turning and half of my brain was telling me this was completely true while the other half was telling me none of this fucking made sense! I didn't know which to believe.

I had to see her.

I threw open the office door and walked out into the club. Everyone stared at my back as I dashed out of there, my face red from being half angry-half flustered. I couldn't make up my mind what I was feeling.

When I got into my car and I turned the engine on, I stopped, my hands tightly wound around the steering wheel. Bella was at her parents' and she wouldn't even be back until later. Calling wasn't an option for me. I needed to see her face-to-face. Resigned, I dropped my forehead to the steering wheel, my anger completely diffused. I was suddenly in agony. Bella…she'd become everything to me these past couple of weeks. Everything. Why would she do this?

_No, you don't fucking know if it's true. Don't assume yet. _

I lifted my forehead, breathing in deeply, and then pulled out of the space and onto the road. I was going to go home and think this through before I saw her later. But when I did see her, she better have answers. I hoped that this was all just a cruel joke…but I couldn't help but feel like it wasn't.

X-X-X-X

I walked out of the elevator and made the few steps to her apartment door. I brought everything with me that I'd planned for tonight—the wine, and the gift I'd gotten her a while back. I wasn't sure why I decided to continue on with my plans, but I just…needed to. I didn't even know why. When I'd gotten home, I thought I could think everything through more, but I couldn't. My brain completely shut off and I became a fucking zombie until I knew it was time to go. And now here I was, standing at her door, feeling like I was on auto-pilot or some shit. I didn't even remember driving over here.

I knocked on the door twice, my knuckles aching with the force of my rapping. I stared at the door, my breathing a bit uneven, until it opened, revealing the last person I wanted to see right now.

"Ah, hello, Cullen," Rose greeted casually, chewing on a granola bar in nothing but an oversized T-shirt. She eyed my hands. "Come to woo Bella, huh?"

"Is she here?" I asked, my voice sounding hoarse.

Instead of answering, she grabbed the velvet box out of my hand, and I was too out of it to even grab it back like I usually would've. She quirked an eyebrow at me. "What's this?" she questioned, and opened the box. She chuckled, and then shut it. "Yep, she'll like it. Nice work." She stuffed it back into my hand and then stepped aside.

I walked past her inside and my eyes scanned around the apartment. No Bella whatsoever. "Where is she?"

"She's—" Rose began to answer, until she was cut off.

"Hey, bro."

I turned my head at the voice and saw Emmett coming out from the kitchen with nothing but his jeans on. "What are you doing here?" I questioned, looking between Rose and him. I debated whether I should let him in on what Seth had told me, but since I didn't know for sure, I decided to keep it to myself for now.

"That's none of your business, Cullen," Rose snapped, and walked over to Emmett. She threw her arms around his neck, her shirt hiking up just a tad, revealing the start of her ass. I quickly diverted my eyes and moved past them to the living room.

All I wanted was to goddamn see Bella. Was that too much to fucking ask?

"For the last time, where is Bella?" I questioned, and stared at Bella's closed bedroom door. Was she in there?

"Well, I see you're your usual chipper self," Rose remarked, and I flashed her a death glare. Right now was not the time to fucking test me. "She should be on her way, but I haven't heard from her. Did you call her?"

"No," I answered simply.

"Well, then, you probably should if you want to know where she is," Rose suggested.

I walked over to the couch and sat, staring at the coffee table in front of me. "No, I'm good. I'll just wait."

Neither of them said anything to me for a few seconds, until I heard Rose whisper, "He looks like a zombie, Em,"

"Go wait in the bedroom. I'm just gonna talk to him," Emmett whispered back.

I heard footsteps retreat further away, and I looked up to see only Emmett in the room, staring straight at me. "What?" I asked.

"You alright, there? You seem fucked up. Did you take something?"

"No, I'm fine," I assured flatly.

"You don't look fine."

"Well, I am."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Are you just going to sit there?"

"Yep. Just waiting for Bella to come back," I said. My voice was unusually calm.

"Alright…" he trailed off, looking wary. "I'm just gonna be in Rose's room. I'm spending the night, so knock if you need to talk or something."

I nodded, and he walked towards Rose's bedroom, closing the door behind him. I turned to stare at Bella's door, as if doing that would make her appear somehow. I realized I'd never even been in there. What did it look like? What did she keep in there? She'd seen my bedroom, but I'd never gone into hers. It wasn't like I'd been here that much; she'd always been at my apartment instead. And she'd never asked me to go in there—not once. Why? She'd seen my room more times than I could count on both hands, and I'd seen hers...never. For some reason, this just bugged the shit out of me, so I did what I had to do. I set the wine and Bella's gift on the coffee table and stood, my eyes trained on her door. Not even giving a shit about personal privacy, I walked up to her room, turned the knob, and pushed it open.

My eyes glanced around. There was a bed that was made up with dark purple pillows and a comforter. There was a dresser, a mirror, a door that most likely led to a closet…and then there was a desk. The desk was cluttered with some scattered books, hair scrunchies, a couple of DVD cases, and a laptop. A spiral bound notebook caught my eye instantly, mainly because of what was said on the cover. _All men are animals...Some just make better pets. _I furrowed my brow and picked it up. It looked worn, as if she'd used it. Curiosity was getting the better of me, and I knew I was really pushing the privacy issue here, but I couldn't stop myself. But when my eyes zeroed in on the words that filled up the first page, I suddenly didn't fucking care anymore.

_**The Five Phases to Make Edward Cullen's Balls Shrivel.**_

_**Phase 1: Act innocent, aloof, and sexy as hell. **__  
__**Phase 2: Be what he wants. **__  
__**Phase 3: Make the bastard fall in love. **__  
__**Phase 4: Have sex with him, and then abandon his ass. **__  
__**Phase 5: Watch him crash and fucking burn, baby!**_

I sat on the bed…reading the words over and over and over again, letting it taunt my brain. I blinked, wondering if I was fucking see this shit right. What the fuck was this? At the speed of light, I flipped the page, seeing that it was completely filled with more words. My eyes scanned over it all.

_**6 times he called. I didn't return any of them. How could I? Tonight was just a reminder of everything, of how he is and what he's done. I hate him for it. **_

_**I hate him.**_

_**I hate him.**_

_**I hate him. **_

_**I. Fucking. HATE. Him. **_

_**Jasper was right last night, even though I barely listened to him. Edward was always out for his own dick. But he'll get what he deserves, and I can't wait to serve it to him. **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**Last night at the club he said he didn't want any secrets between us. Does he know that he's a walking hypocrite? He says that just so that I won't keep secrets from him, but then he's got all these secrets up his sleeve that he wouldn't dare tell me. Like his little herd of whores, Tanya, Irina, and Kate. I wonder when the last time was that he fucked one of them. Probably last night, knowing him. He's disgusting. **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**Jacob called me Edward's girlfriend and Edward didn't even correct him. Progress? I think so. And he called me baby. Honestly, I sort of liked it, but it was the way he said it so casually, like it was something he called me all the time, which he didn't. Alice thinks he's starting to fall for me. I think it's too soon. But Alice is pretty intuitive with that sort of stuff, so I don't know. I can't tell with Edward, even though I'm pretty good at reading him. It could all be an act to get in my pants, or it could be real…I just don't know. **_

_**Should I go into phase three or should I not? I'm in two minds. On one hand, he seems ready. If anything Alice said was right, then he likes me genuinely and slipping into the third phase would be easy…but then, what if I go into phase three and it doesn't work? No, I think I need to be certain. I need more time. **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**Well, meeting one of the KIT girls was an adventure. She was just as skanky as I imagined her. I can't believe he was having sex with her, threw her in the closet, and then let me into his apartment like nothing was up. He's sick. It baffles me how for one split second…I wanted that creep. I completely gave myself over to the thought of wanting to be with him. What the hell was the matter with me? Was I out of my mind? Did I actually believe that Edward wanted to be with me? Apparently I did. It just goes to show what a sap I can still be sometimes. I thought I was done with that shit, but apparently not. But no more now. I really am done with that crap. After seeing that slut, Irina, I can safely say that I have no feelings for Edward whatsoever and I never will. OH and that bitch is a fucking swindler, I tell ya. She managed to get 50 bucks out of me and free drinks and admission at the club. Whore. Can't believe Edward stuck his dick in her. Can't believe I liked the douche. I clearly went insane. **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**Edward stopped by tonight…didn't even talk to me. Jasper was here and didn't talk to me, either. Alice said they got into a physical fight. What the fuck is going on? And Edward brought those Casablanca lilies for me…They were really beautiful…**_

x-x_**  
**_

_**He's not calling me. Why isn't he calling me? **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**Almost called him. Shit! I hate this feeling. **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**It's Sunday. Fucking Sunday. No call. What the hell? Why hasn't he called? Where is he? What is he doing? God fucking damnit. **_

x-x_**  
**_

_**I called him. I really shouldn't have, but I did. We're meeting up in a bit to go hiking…Why am I nervous?**_

x-x_**  
**_

_**I've officially moved into the third phase. This is going to be fucking great. That picture Rose is taking over to his house today is perfect. I wonder what he'll do with it, how he'll react. I wish I could see his face. Hiking with him was nice. We actually had fun and he told me about Emily…even though I knew about her. Although I feel upset for what he did to Emily, I still sort of feel bad for him, too. I don't know. I mean, drugs...getting arrested…that sort of behavior isn't something to sympathize with, but I think I can understand it a bit—**_

x-x_**  
**_

I shut the book with a hard slam, blocking out the rest of the words on the paper. The vein in my neck was just about burst as I fumed to myself.

All of this…was a fucking joke to her.

None of it was real!

_EVER_!

She'd been playing me like a fucking fool for two goddamn weeks. She didn't like me like I thought she did…no…she was trying to fucking mess with me. Why? Who the fuck knew why? She was bat shit crazy! All those times she kissed me and stared into my eyes and…fuck! It wasn't even real. It was just me. And clearly…I was a fucking fool because I had no goddamn clue.

Fucking phases. Five goddamn phases to what? To breaking me down? To fucking destroying me? No way. That wasn't going to fucking happen. I wouldn't let it! She had another thing coming if she thought she could fuck with me and get away with it. Was this some plot to toy with me so that I sold the club or something?

Holy shit…that was it. She was trying to sabotage the club! FUCK!

I tossed the shitty ass notebook on the desk and stormed out of her room, then out of the apartment altogether. I wasn't going to stay here another minute wasting my time as I sat here like a dumb shit and fell all over her. I was done. No fucking more!

X-X-X-X

I was fucking miserable.

Why me?

Fuck.

This wasn't fucking good. Not at all. When I left her apartment, I was on a rampage and I was pissed as holy fuck. But now…shit…now I was depressed as hell. What the hell was wrong with me? I'd turned into a fucking ass girl, lying on my bed with the pillow over my face as I drowned out the world around me, allowing the fucking pounding in my head to take over.

The thing was that even despite finding out all this shit that I still couldn't make sense of…I was still fucking into her so badly. And I couldn't get Jasper's words out of my head when he'd said that once someone formed an attachment, it was hard to let go. That was sure as fuck true. I wanted to let go of this…this…whatever the fuck it was. I wanted it over and I wanted to rewind time and not have ever met Bella and gone down this shit storm drain of emotions…but then again, I still wanted her more than anything.

_Shit. My fucking head hurts…I can't even goddamn figure out what I want. _

I'd go back and forth between deciding to be angry over this shit and end things, and wanting to fucking confront her and beg her to tell me why she would do this to me. Was this all because of the club? Because if that was the case, then I'd let her win…I'd fucking give her what she wanted and even help her with her club…

What the fuck was I saying? Had I completely gone _nuts_? She was the one who started all this competition, not me. She was the one on some sort of vendetta to try to humiliate me. Why was I willing to help her? Was it because of how I felt for her? Fuck…how did I feel about her, anyway? I knew I liked her, and I thought she was hot…but it was so much more than that. My heart ached and my stomach clenched at the thought of losing what I had with her. I just wanted to crawl back to yesterday and be in denial of all this. But what if Emmett was right and I was…falling in love with her…?

_Shit, I need a drink. _

I threw the pillow away from my face and across the room, not caring where it landed, and stood from the bed lazily. My entire body felt heavy as I made my way out of my bedroom and into the kitchen. I took out a beer and uncapped it, then tipped more than half its contents down my throat. It fucking burned…but it was the only thing making me feel good right now. Yet…it still didn't stop my mind from working.

Love wasn't a concept I was familiar with at all. What was it exactly? What did it mean? What did it entail? Did anyone really fucking know the answer? People always said that when you knew, you just knew. Fuck that. That sounded like a bunch of Hallmark bull to me. I wanted fucking scientific facts that allowed me to know whether I was or I wasn't. I knew that there was this massive ache in my chest because of what I'd found out she'd been doing to me, but that couldn't mean love. That was probably just some gas or something. Good thing Emmett still had the Pepto-Bismol from all that Mexican food he ate.

From the kitchen, I could hear my cell phone ringing. I didn't move a muscle or even breathe. It was _her_. I knew it without a doubt. I could fucking feel it with every inch of me that it was her calling, and my body hummed with yearning for her. It was like she had a fucking sixth sense to my crazed thoughts that were filled with nothing but her.

The phone stopped ringing, and I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief…but I didn't. Instead, my feet carried me into my bedroom, where my phone was resting on my nightstand right under our picture together. I avoided getting caught up in how happy we looked that day and grabbed the phone, seeing that she left a voicemail. I knew that I was going to torture myself by listening. There was no stopping me.

"Hey, it's me!" she said, sounding overly chipper. "Sorry I missed you. I got a flat tire on the way back over here. Anyway, Rose told me you stopped by and I'm sorry I wasn't here to see you. You brought wine? Even though it's great, I'm still sort of upset you weren't here so we could drink it together. Rose and Emmett stole it, by the way. And the gift…I don't even know what to say…It's beautiful. More than that. It's just…" She paused, and breathed deeply. "Sometimes it's scary that you know what I like. It's exactly what I would've picked out for myself. So, thank you. But I do wish that you'd been here to give it to me." She paused again, and her tone became softer. "I really miss you, Edward. I have to go back to my parents' again tomorrow, but can you call me back or something? Maybe you can call me back tonight so I'm not worried about you…" She laughed nervously. "Okay, I'm going—bye." She hung up swiftly, her voice echoing in my brain.

I groaned and tossed the phone on the bed, then went back into the kitchen to drink more beer. She fucking said things like that…all sweet and shit, and it seemed so real. Hell, I wanted it to be real…but it wasn't. Or was it? I didn't fucking know! I mean, could it really all just be an act with her? When we first met, even I tried to pretend and it ended up turning into real feelings. So, if I couldn't do it, then could she? If she could, she was a fucking good actress and deserved a goddamn Oscar or some shit, because this all had me reeling.

There was no way in hell that I was calling her back tonight. She could just forget about that. Besides, I didn't think I could stomach having to listen to her beautiful, breathy voice talking to me.

Shit…I was so screwed if the thought of her damn _voice_ made my fucking body feel all tingly and shit.

But there was something that was nagging my brain, something that confused me beyond end. When I'd first met her at her club, she was just sitting there. At the time, I'd thought she was just this innocent woman with a broken heart, and now…well, now I knew that she was full of shit. So, had she known, even back then, that I was her competition across the street? I didn't know if it would help, but I needed to know more about Bella and the club, so I went back into the living room and fired up the computer. I knew, obviously, she worked with Rose and Alice, so had they known, too? I didn't think I'd find out that specific answer online, but it didn't hurt to see what else there was.

When the computer was done loading, I pulled up the internet browser and typed _Touch&Go nightclub_ into Google. A bunch of random websites popped up, reviewing the nightclub or promoting it, but there was nothing personal about the venue itself. I decided to cut to the chase and just typed in what I was really after. My fingers roamed over the keyboard as I typed in _Bella Stork Touch&Go nightclub. _Again, nothing really came up at all except more reviews. I scrolled to the bottom and clicked a couple pages ahead until I saw her name.

_**Alice B., Bella S., and Rosalie H.—owners of the new trendsetting club in downtown Seattle, Touch&Go. Read further to see our review. **_

I clicked the link, which brought me to a very enthusiastically pink website that reviewed hotspots in the Seattle area for women. I didn't care to read the review, so I scrolled down a bit until I saw Bella's name again.

_**While we were sitting down in the VIP section with our pink cosmos, we caught up with one of the owners of this chic club. We got to chatting and she was really sweet, classy, and very down to earth—a stark reflection of what the club is like. There's nothing trashy about Touch&Go. Their clientele are part of the finer side of Seattle. Miss Bella Swan, a former Forks resident, now living in Seattle, started up the club with her two best friends, Alice Brandon and Rosalie Hale.**_

"_**It was sort of something we always talked about in college—doing a club. We wanted to put our money together and bring about something that would make us happy as well as others. It's been great so far and we're really excited to go on this journey together." –Bella Swan.**_

_**So, if you're looking for a place to wind down with a cocktail—and some very yummy male bartenders, I must say—then this is the place for you. **_

I blinked rapidly and brought my face closer to the computer screen. The only things that were screaming out at me were two single words.

Bella Swan.

Bella Swan…

…Isa_bella_…_Swan_…

My brain suddenly clicked, like a fucking trigger being pulled on a gun. My lungs tightened, my throat constricted, my entire fucking body went rigid as fuck.

"Chief Swan's daughter…" I gasped in a whisper of shock.

With a force like a hurricane, I shot off the chair and quickly ran into my bedroom. Not even wasting time, I dashed into my closet and grabbed my suitcase. I threw it on my bed and went back into my closet, grabbing any fucking shirt and jeans I'd need, and then threw it into the suitcase. I went into my bathroom, got my toothbrush and any other shit that I used on a daily basis. When I was done, I frantically grabbed my phone, my heart fucking about ready to fly out of my chest. With shaking fingers, I dialed the number I needed to, but it went to voicemail. The beep resounded, and I swallowed thickly, preparing myself to speak.

"Call me back as soon as you get this. It's an emergency," I said, void of any emotion, and shoved the phone in my back pocket. I quickly zipped up my suitcase and voiced the thoughts out loud that I knew was inevitable. "I'm fucking dead…"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Long time coming, but there you go. He knows. **

**Some of you are concerned I won't be able to wrap this up in the amount of chapters I said I have left. All I can say is trust the author. _A lot_ can happen in just one chapter.**

**So, tell me your thoughts and whatnot. Would love to hear from you. **

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**RECS: **

_**Little Fish, Big Fish**_** by Michelle M Marie**

**An extremely quirky, druggy, Bella that captures the attention of your typical uptight jerkish jock, Edward (or Shags, as Bella calls him). I didn't think this story was my taste at all, but once I started reading, I absolutely fell in love with it. It's very original. It follows them through high school and will also follow them in their adult hood under different circumstances.**

_**The Education of Professor Cullen **_**by sheviking**

**Edward is an anal retentive, snooty, and boring college professor. His student, Bella, is a bit of a wild chick who is confident in her sexuality and always tries to put the moves on Edward even despite the fact that he hates her. This is so good. I absolutely love that opposites attract here and how Bella starts to change Edward's rule book. The fact that Edward says he dislikes her and then practically stalks her is the funniest thing ever…but actually really sexy, too. **

_**My Ride Home**_** by ocdmess**

**Mysterryyyy. I love 'em! Bella is sort of an introvert, I suppose. Her life sucks majorly, and Edward is the enigma who offers her an out. It's fairly new, but it's already really intriguing. Anyone that stalks me on twitter knows how obsessed I am with ocdmess's other fic, Hit By Destiny, and this will probably be no different once it fully gets going. Read!

* * *

**

_**If you haven't checked out the contest I'm hosting with coachlady1, MizzezPattinson, and Cars1, then please do. We're still taking submissions and would love to read about your Pilotwards, Constructionwards, and hey, even Plumberwards. Asscrack, anyone? Yeaaaaahhh. DO IT. **_

_**For details, go to twifichof . wordpress . com **_


	24. Venom

**A/N:**

**Hooo man. I totally hit you with that last chapter. It was like a panther springing on its prey. You guys…are my prey. ;-) The response last update was incredible, so thank you.**

**My beta is Lindz26 and she's stellarrrr. A special thanks to Delandora for nominating me for that AH award. Because of her awesomness, she got to read this chapter ahead of time. And hope you had a good birthday, girl.**

**WARNING: this chapter might cause you to need a tissue or a spear.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Seth spills the beans about Bella's club, and Edward finds out the rest.

* * *

**

**~*VENOM*~  
*BELLA***

I opened the front door to my apartment with a groan. I hated flat tires. How the hell did I manage to drive from Forks to Seattle with a damn nail in my front tire? God only knew. At least the car shop was still open and fixed it for me. And tomorrow, when I'd go back to my parents' house—because I was still obligated to by Seth's damn blackmail—I hoped I wouldn't get another nail in there. With my luck, I probably fucking would.

"Hey, who's here?" I called out as I shut the door.

"Just Emmett and me," I heard Rose's faint voice coming from inside her room. Bleh…did I really want to know if they were having sex? Sometimes, I'd hear them…especially last night. Disgusting.

I set my purse down and shook off my coat. "Where's Alice?" I asked.

Rose came out of her room in nothing but a large T-shirt. "She's with Jasper," she answered.

I groaned and rolled my eyes simultaneously, like the good multitasker I was. I hadn't heard from Jasper in a while and I wasn't making any effort to call. I think we were on a break…like Ross and Rachel—only, I had no desire to write him an eighteen page letter…front and back. If I had anything to say, I'd say it to his face…but I wasn't going to, because I was still pissed with his ass.

"She knows the little fight you and Jasper have going on, so she doesn't want to make it worse by bringing him here," Rose added.

I waved a hand, not caring at all. "Whatever. He wants to be a douche, let him be a douche."

"You'll have to talk to him eventually," she said.

"Then I'll talk to him eventually." I thought for a moment. "But I'm not going to be the one to talk to him first."

She shook her head and walked into the living room. I took the moment to go to my bedroom. As I approached my door, I noticed it was wide open. I was positive I'd shut it before I left. Glancing around the pitch black room, something felt…off. I flicked on the light and surveyed everything. There was nothing out of place, per se, but it was just a feeling I had.

"Hey, Rose," I called over my shoulder, "did you come in my room?"

I looked at my desk and saw nothing wrong there, that I could see…but the feeling was still offsetting. I heard footsteps draw closer to my room. I didn't turn around, still looking for…something that I wasn't sure of.

"Nope, haven't really been out of my bedroom, except for when Cullen came over," she said, directly behind me.

I spun around at her words. "What? Edward was here?" I questioned, and noticed she was holding a bottle of wine and a small velvet box. "What's that?"

She shrugged. "He brought the wine over and _this_," she said with a smile, and passed me the velvet box.

I didn't open it, but instead, rubbed my fingers over the soft velvet. "He got me a gift?"

She rolled her eyes. "Uh, _duh_, he's got it bad for you," she said, and I glared at her. "What? It's true. That's what you wanted, so there you go. Now, are you gonna open it or what?"

For some reason, I didn't want to open it while she was here. It felt too personal. "In a bit, but when was he here? Did he say anything? Is he coming back? Should I call him?"

Her eyes went wide. "Whoa, whoa, slow down," she urged with a chuckle. "To answer your questions…not too long ago…not much at all…not sure if he's coming back…and yes, call him."

I pursed my lips and decided I'd give him a call after I opened the gift. "Okay," I agreed.

"To be honest, he was sorta spacey. Emmett seemed to think something was wrong, but I'm pretty sure he was just missing you or whatever."

I smiled a little at the thought of him missing me, but was also a bit worried that he was spacey. "Alright, well, I'll give him a call. Thanks."

"No problem." She held up the wine. "And I'm taking this for me and Emmett, just so you know." She laughed and scurried away quickly before I could object.

I sat on the edge of my bed, turning the velvet box over in my hand as I got lost in my thoughts. Edward had been here, but he hadn't stayed. We'd been seeing each other every day, so it shouldn't be weird that he was here, but I figured he would've called or…something. But he didn't. He just came here and left. Maybe he needed to go for some reason. Maybe there was an emergency at the club. No…but even then, he would've called.

I sighed and decided to let it go before my thoughts conjured up something dramatic that probably wasn't true. I had a tendency to overreact sometimes. So, I opened the box. When I did, I softly gasped. It was a simple silver heart pendant necklace. It wasn't overly glamorous or extravagant, it was just…perfect. I took the necklace out of the box and unhooked the clasp so I could put it on. I stood and walked over to my mirror, then hooked it behind my neck. It was elegant looking. I really loved it. In all honesty, I was surprised he knew what I liked.

As I admired it, I felt a warmth surge through my body. Everything just felt right. Things were going great and I was actually…happy. Even though it was a façade, I was still enjoying myself with Edward, I had to admit. Lately, I'd begun to think a lot more about Emmett's words—that we'd be good together as a normal couple. At first, the idea was completely abominable, but now…I wasn't so sure. It was looking more and more appealing with every day I spent with him. I knew I shouldn't be thinking this way, especially after everything—his rejection of me, him sabotaging our club, and even Irina…but even with that, I knew how I was starting to feel around Edward, and I couldn't deny one thing. We just seemed to fit together.

I shook my head…My thoughts were running away with me again. I couldn't let myself get in over my head like I did before the Irina episode. It was important to stay grounded.

After glancing one more time at myself in the mirror, I decided to call Edward. As I dialed, I toyed with my necklace, moving the pendant left and right on the silver chain. He didn't pick up, which caused me to frown, but that wouldn't stop me from leaving a message.

"Hey, it's me! Sorry I missed you. I got a flat tire on the way back over here," I started, and realized how hyper I sounded. I tried to tone that down some, but it was hard when I felt so anxious to talk to him. "Anyway, Rose told me you stopped by and I'm sorry I wasn't here to see you. You brought wine? Even though it's great, I'm still sort of upset you weren't here so we could drink it together. Rose and Emmett stole it, by the way."

Being able to share the wine together would've been nice. What would we have done? Drank and talked on my couch? Maybe in my bedroom? On my bed? That would've been…nice.

"And the gift…" I continued, and smiled. " I don't even know what to say…It's beautiful." There were so many words to describe it, but nothing seemed to come close to expressing how lovely the necklace was. "More than that. It's just…" I stopped talking, wondering how he knew I'd like it. "Sometimes it's scary that you know what I like. It's exactly what I would've picked out for myself. So, thank you. But I do wish that you'd been here to give it to me." I stopped talking again, my brow furrowing. I hoped he would listen to his message and call me. Maybe he could come over. I couldn't stop the next honest words that came out of my mouth. "I really miss you, Edward. I have to go back to my parents' again tomorrow, but can you call me back or something? Maybe you can call me back tonight so I'm not worried about you…" Shit, I was becoming in over my head again. I needed to hang up…_fast_. "OkayI'mgoingbye."

I set the phone aside and shook my head, feeling a little embarrassed of myself. Even though there was a high chance he'd call tonight or come over again, I decided to get ready for bed. I was sure he wouldn't mind seeing me in my pajamas. And maybe…he could stay over or something. I mean, we wouldn't do anything, we'd just lie…together…in my bed.

_Okay, enough of that. _

Trying not to think about Edward again, I got dressed for bed and turned off the light. I set my phone on my bedside table, then slipped under the covers, but knew I wouldn't be able to sleep until Edward called.

X-X-X-X

"Alright, so what's the consensus, guys?" Alice asked Rose and me as we sat on stools at the bar counter of our club.

"Not sell," I said confidently.

"Sell," Rose said at the same time I spoke.

My head whipped to Rose in shock. "What?" I questioned angrily.

She dodged her eyes away, looking guilty. We'd been at this again, trying to make a decision on what to do with the club, but I was standing firm in saying we shouldn't. We could find another way. It wasn't the end. But Alice was pretty certain we really didn't have a choice. And now Rose…ugh…

"I don't know…I was just talking with Emmett last night and…" Rose paused, and shrugged. "We just think that it would be more beneficial, financially, if we sold as soon as we can while our heads are still above water."

"_We_?" I asked, annoyed. "Emmett is not included in this decision. Just because you two are now starring in _the Emmett and Rose Variety Hour _show, doesn't mean he gets a say."

"What the hell does that mean?" she questioned angrily.

"It means that you two are joined at the fucking hip and it's annoying as hell," I barked, getting frustrated.

"Fuck, Bella…we're dating. Obviously we're close. And excuse me? Aren't you the one seeing Edward all day, every day?"

I narrowed my eyes. That wasn't fucking true. I didn't think I'd get to see him today. He never called last night. I ended up falling asleep without even knowing it, and when I woke up and checked my phone, there were no missed calls. I tried calling this morning, but his phone was switched off. I didn't really know what else to do except maybe stop by his place after we were done here.

"Not _every_ day," I countered childishly. "And don't you think Emmett is just saying that for Satyr's sake?"

"He's not," she assured, and sighed. "Yes, he was all for our club going downhill at first, but it's different now. He doesn't like what's happening any more than we do."

"So, you're for selling?" Alice asked Rose, but it almost came out as a statement.

"Yeah, I think so," she answered.

"No!" I shouted desperately. "This is ridiculous! I refuse to let you guys do this. We need to just keep trying to come up with ideas!"

"Hello, ladies," a deep man's voice said behind us. We all spun around in our chairs and saw an older looking man dressed in an expensive black suit. He had pasty white skin and slicked back dark hair. He looked creepy.

"Who in the hell is that?" I questioned quietly to Rose and Alice, and they both shrugged.

"We're closed," Rose said to the man, who was now walking over to us. "Come back later."

He stopped right in front of us, his dark eyes scanning us individually, assessing us. I shivered, not liking his stare. "No need," he stated. "I'm here for business purposes."

Oh great…was he one of those Mormon's or something? Those people never seemed to get the hint. "We're not interested," I replied curtly.

The corners of his mouth turned up into a smirk. "Oh, I think you will be."

Okay, he was pissing me off now.

"Make it fast," Rose ordered. "What do you want?"

He chuckled, and looked around the empty club. "Your club, of course."

I furrowed my brow. "Excuse me?" I questioned haughtily.

"I've been looking for the perfect venue for my new club, and I came across this little place…" His eyes scanned over the bar. "It's quite…charming."

"We're not interested—" I said immediately, but Alice put up a hand, signaling me to stop speaking.

"Keep talking," Alice urged the creepy man, and I flashed her a scathing look.

He smirked at me quite cockily, and I only wished I could smack the smirk right off his face. "My name is Aro Volturi. I've been observing your club for a while. I'd like to make you an offer."

I huffed, and opened my mouth to chew him out, but Alice interceded again. "Yes, okay, we're listening," she said. Fuck! She was so going on my blacklist!

"Well, I'm willing to offer you much more than this place is worth," Aro said.

"How do you know what it's worth?" Rose asked suspiciously.

He smiled knowingly. "I just do."

"So, you'd want to replace this club with your own, correct?" Alice questioned.

"Oh, no," Aro said. "I'd be using this as storage."

Rose and Alice looked at him in confusion, and I gave him a scornful, disgusted expression.

"You're going to use _our club_ as storage?" I queried angrily. "I thought you said you were looking for a place for your club."

"Well, that's where the location across the street will come in," he admitted.

I blinked at him a few times, not saying anything. Now I really was confused. "There is no location across the street. There's just Satyr…" I trailed off as I watched him slowly smile. Holy shit. "You're going to try to buy out Satyr?"

"That's the plan," he answered.

I laughed humorlessly. "That's not an option," I stated, becoming infuriated. The nerve of this guy, trying to buy both clubs just for his own amusement. "He won't let you, you know." I shook my head slightly, realizing my mistake. "I mean, _they_ won't let you."

"She's right," Rose chimed in. "Their club is doing very well. They have no reason to sell whatsoever."

He merely shrugged. "We'll see." Then he looked down at his glitzy watch that could probably feed a small country. "Well, I really must be off. I'll be in touch with an official offer in a couple days." With that, he walked to the exit and disappeared as if he'd never even be here.

I turned to Alice and Rose straight away. "Are you both nuts? How could you encourage that creep? He wants to use our club for _storage_!" I was outraged. This was just a fucking insult to us.

"We'll see what his offer is and then we can decide," Alice suggested.

"Or we could just say no," I countered.

"_Or_ we could wait and see and if it's a good offer, then we can make a decision at that point," Rose stated, and nudged my shoulder with hers. "It's just an offer, Bella. It won't kill us to look into it."

I grumbled to myself the entire morning after that. This was bullshit. I wasn't going to let some weird ass suit wearing asshole come in, buy us off, and use our club as his little fucking storage unit to shove his fucking diamond watches in and frolic around or some shit. And what the fuck? He wanted to buy Satyr, too? That was just laughable. Edward would rather chop off his left nut than let that happen. I almost wanted to be there when the creepy son of a bitch gave him an offer. Edward would put him in his place, I knew it. The idea of that amused me greatly and put me in a better mood for the rest of the morning.

Around lunchtime, I decided to head over to Forks. I didn't want to go, but I had that whole set up with Seth that I'd visit a couple times a week, so I really had no choice in the matter. The roads were slippery from the rain and I kept pulling over every so often to check if there was a nail in the tire. Since I'd gotten one the day before, I was neurotic about getting another one. There was also something else that had me in a frenzy, though. Edward hadn't called me back yet. I knew it was probably nothing, but this really wasn't like him, at least not for the last several days. We'd been in constant contact, not even allowing the other to breath for one second. I'd stopped by his apartment before hitting the road and he hadn't been there, either. So, maybe it was my imagination running wild, but something seemed wrong.

My mom answered the door as soon as I arrived, instantly telling me she made some green ravioli recipe she'd gotten off the _Food Network_. It looked like dead turtles floating in green puke. I told her I wasn't hungry, and it was the absolute truth. There was no way I was hungry for dead turtles.

She asked me if I wanted to help her fold laundry, and there was nothing else to do, so I went along with it. The only problem was that she talked a lot. Like, she never shut up. She'd just prattle on about anything and everything, most of the time not having a point. I would just nod my head and zone out.

"…and the gophers keep coming back, even though we put out the strychnine. But I think it might be working a little, because the neighbor's cat died suddenly, and we figured out that it ate one of the poisoned gophers. So, that's a shame really, but definitely not our fault."

"Uh-huh," I replied distantly as I folded a pair of Dad's jeans.

"So, how's Jasper?"

"Uh-huh," I said, and set the jeans on the sofa next to me.

"Isabella?" she asked, and I came out of my daze, realizing she was talking to me.

"Yeah?" I questioned.

She quirked an eyebrow. "How's Jasper?"

I snorted, and shrugged. The hell if I knew. "Not sure, Mom," I answered honestly.

She shook her head and began folding a large blanket in half. "You two are blind as bats."

"What?" I asked, confused.

She huffed. "When are you two going to date?" she questioned, looking annoyed.

I laughed, amused. "Why would we date?"

"It's obvious the way you two always look at each other."

I rolled my eyes. I knew it was time to set her straight. "He has a girlfriend, Mom. We've never even been interested in each other like that."

She narrowed her eyes, looking majorly pissed, and then went back to folding, more roughly this time. "This better not be about that Cullen boy," she muttered.

My body went rigid, and I gawked at her. "What?" I asked.

Her blanket folding was becoming sloppy as her shoulders tensed. "Have you or have you not been seeing that Edward Cullen?" she questioned bluntly.

Oh shit. How the fuck did she know? "Well, we're friends, Mom, so…" I tried to deflect.

She scoffed and tossed the blanket onto the couch. "I'm not dumb, Isabella. I knew the way you fawned over him when you were a child, and I'm assuming it's no different now."

I merely stared at her, flabbergasted. I didn't think anyone knew how I felt about Edward back in school. "I…well…" I stuttered, and looked down.

"You are much too smart for someone like him. He's a nuisance and trouble. You know what he did to that poor Emily girl, I'm sure—"

"Whoa," I interrupted, shocked. "You know about Emily?"

She sighed. "Your father was the one who found her car practically flattened against that tree."

I blinked a few times, wondering why I hadn't known this. And then I remembered something. "Mom, when Edward went to jail, what happened? How did his record get wiped clean?" I questioned quickly.

Her eyes bulged out, and she began shaking her head. She swiftly grabbed the laundry basket and rushed out of the living room and towards the stairs. I wasn't letting her off the hook that easily, though. She obviously knew something. So, I tailed her as she ascended the stairs.

"Alright, what do you know?" I questioned.

"Just drop it, Isabella," she demanded stoically.

"No, you know something and I think it's fair that you tell me."

"And why is that?" she asked, stopping on the top stair, her back facing me.

I sighed, and decided to tell her the truth. "Because…I'm dating him."

She spun around like a tornado. "What did you say?" she questioned, then closed her eyes and began whispering something to herself that I couldn't make out.

"Mom, he's not like that anymore. He's…" I paused, and breathed in deeply. "He's a good guy. He doesn't do drugs or anything like that."

She laughed darkly, turned around, and walked down the hall towards her bedroom. I walked speedily after her.

"Are you going to tell me why his record was wiped clean?" I queried.

She set the basket down on the bed and sat next to it. "Yes, I'll tell you…only if you agree to break up with him."

I looked at her incredulously. Was she insane? What the hell was with my family fucking blackmailing me all the time? But, I did what I needed to do. "Fine," I lied casually.

She assessed me closely, and I kept a straight, unwavering expression, showing I was dead serious and could be trusted, even though I was a lying son of a bitch and was probably going to hell.

"His parents gave your father a sum of money to give him a clean slate," she revealed with no emotion.

The air came out of my lungs in a _woosh_. Was I hearing this correctly? "I can't even believe this. And Dad just took the money?" I questioned, infuriated.

"Well, he didn't take the money for himself. He used it to upgrade his officer's weapons down at the station."

I chucked bitterly. This was fucked up. The whole time, Edward had no clue how his record was wiped clean, and all the while, it'd been my father who'd done it. None of it made sense. Why would he do that for Edward if he hated him? Yes, obviously the money was the reason, but wouldn't it have been much more gratifying to let him have a criminal record? Apparently not, I supposed…

"So, now you see how he is, Isabella. Like I said, he's not good for you. You're much too innocent. I mean, you're still a virgin," she said softly.

I just about choked on my own spit. Oh. Fucking. Lord. What the hell did one even say to that? Obviously, I wasn't a virgin, but I just figured she knew I wasn't. So, would it be appropriate to correct her and basically let her know that I'd actually had sex before…many times? "Umm…well," I started to say, but was interrupted by a knock on the door downstairs.

"Oh, that'll be the Clearwaters," my mom announced cheerily, as if the conversation never took place, then exited out of the room.

I could hear the voices of Harry and Sue Clearwater as my mother greeted them warmly. Sighing, I walked out of the room and descended the stairs, seeing them gathered by the door.

"Where's little Seth?" my mom asked.

"Lord knows," Sue answered. "He's messing about outside, I think."

"Oh, hey, Bella," Harry greeted, noticing I was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Hi," I said back. "Where outside is he?" It was strange that he didn't come inside. Normally, he liked to follow me around everywhere and bug the shit out of me.

"He ran off into the woods at the side of the house," Harry answered. I nodded and moved past them to the door.

"Don't be too long, Isabella. We're having ravioli soon," my mother called after me.

I groaned in disgust and made my way outside, into the frigid air. My nose instantly became cold, and I was sure it was going to turn a hint of pink. I walked towards the trees lined up next to the house, which bordered the forest. As I stepped onto the earth, covered in sticks, fallen leaves, and overgrown grass, I could hear loud snapping noises. I dodged a few trees until I came into view of Seth, whacking a tree with a broken branch incessantly.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" I questioned, wondering if he was slightly mentally challenged.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me, then went back to beating up the tree. "Nothing," he said, his voice shaky from his tree smacking.

I rubbed my arms as a breeze sent a chill down my spine. "Are you coming in?"

"No," he replied, hitting the tree faster and harder now.

I looked at him curiously. "Stop doing that," I demanded, annoyed. He stopped and threw the branch to the side, then turned and leaned his back against the tree. "What's up? You're not your usual pain in the ass blackmailing self today?"

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe I don't feel like blackmailing you anymore."

I quirked an eyebrow, wondering if I heard him right. "Yeah, right…what's the catch?"

He huffed. "No catch. I'm done," he stated. "You don't have to come down here anymore."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion. "Nice try, you little runt. I don't trust you for one second." He was definitely messing with me. I bet he had another trick up his sleeve to try to blackmail me even more.

"I never actually was going to tell Cullen anything you told me," he admitted, and shrugged. "I was just fucking with you the entire time."

"Oh, come on," I started, knowing he was full of it, "you would've told him in a heartbeat if I didn't do what you want."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Believe what you want, but like I said, I'm done with it. I'm not gonna tell Cullen anything, so you can just go home now," he said, and dodged his eyes away from me. I still didn't trust his ass. "I'm going inside." He took a few steps and walked past me.

If he thought I didn't know him, then he was an idiot. I could tell he was lying. That kid was relentless and stubborn as hell. He wouldn't give up trying to blackmail me for anything unless, perhaps, he knew it wouldn't work on me anymore.

I shrugged it off, pretty satisfied that I could go home now if I wanted to. So, I walked back through the woods the way I entered. I came out of the forest, cold as ever, and began to make my way towards the house. I looked out across the street and noticed a man that sort of resembled Edward, and then diverted my eyes back to the house.

_Wait—Edward? _

I stopped dead in my tracks, my body going completely rigid, my shoulders tensing, and arms stiffening at my sides. My eyes slowly began to wander back towards the street, hoping that I was just imagining things. When my eyes connected with his, I felt sick to my stomach and like I was going to pass out at any moment.

He was here. In Forks.

He was wearing a dark blue fleece sweater and had his hands shoved deep within his jean pockets. His hair was a wild mess, which tended to be that way when he was thinking too much and would grip his hair in frustration. But as we stared into each other's eyes—his intense forest green ones with my curious brown ones—I became certain of one thing.

He knew.

To what extent, I didn't know, but I was positive he knew who I was at the very least. With this knowledge, I should've been fearful or even the opposite, which was cocky about the whole thing, but I wasn't. I felt barren and cold. I knew that everything was going to change.

He began to walk towards me from across the street, his eyes never leaving mine, a whirl of emotions in them that I couldn't read. Instead of stopping in front of me, he passed me, making his way into the woods behind. I didn't turn, nor did I watch him. My thoughts were screaming at me all at once, but I couldn't seem to make sense of any of them. I was nervous, and I was scared as hell, but more than that, I felt…relieved. It was a weird sensation that I shouldn't have been feeling, but it was there. I glanced around, noticing no one was here. There wasn't even a car in the street. How had he gotten here? How did he find out? So many questions ran through my head, but the only way to know the answers…was to follow him.

I turned and made my way back into the forest, unsure of which direction he went but deciding to follow my gut. Sure enough, I saw the back of him, deep within the woods. He stood motionless. I walked up behind him, keeping a surmountable distance between us.

He suddenly laughed loudly, and it was dark and not…Edward. It was unfamiliar in every sense. Goose bumps formed on my arms, a result of not just the cold.

"Well, this just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" he questioned abruptly, sounding distant as he stayed facing away from me.

"What?" I asked quietly, fearing my own voice to give away my unstable emotions.

He finally turned around, and I analyzed his face. He looked tired and his eyes held no life to them. His usual happy exterior was marred with an emotionless mask.

"Are you gonna mark this in your little notebook? 'Edward showed up where I grew up today…he must be_ falling _for me'," he said mockingly, and took a menacing step towards me. "Is that right?"

He knew a lot more than I realized. The thought was unnerving, but not because I'd been busted. It was because I was actually feeling guilty and ashamed of myself. The last few days, I'd begun to actually picture myself with Edward in a different way than I'd ever imagined. Not in an obsessive way like when I was a teenager, and not in a fake way like when I'd first started this whole tangled web. I'd begun to think of him as an equal, as a friend, as someone that made me laugh and someone that infuriated me to no end, but that always made me smile a minute later. This was Edward, and he wasn't some womanizing ass anymore. He'd changed. He was better. And he was exactly who I wanted.

But as I gazed at him, my epiphany prevalent in my mind, I could tell that he wasn't too happy, and that I had fucked up royally. He obviously knew that I was Isabella Swan; otherwise, he wouldn't have shown up at my parents' house. He obviously knew that I'd tried to manipulate him. So, the question was…why was he here? If the shoe were on the other foot, I would've never spoken to him again, without a doubt. But he was here…in front of me.

"Why did you show up here, Edward?" I questioned, my voice now steady.

His lips pressed into a thin, hard line as his eyes seared into me. "Because a part of me didn't think it was true. I had to see for myself," he answered.

I crossed my arms over my chest, shielding my body in security. "So, here you are, and you've seen for yourself."

"Yeah," he said, and took a daunting step towards me, "and now I know…every smile, every caress, every kiss…it was all a lie, wasn't it?" It wasn't a question. To him, it was a statement.

At first, yes, it was all a lie, but later…it'd morphed into something real, even though most of the time, I hadn't realized it. My anger over the club and over my past clouded my true emotions. Out of the lies emerged natural feelings. However, I had to be honest in answering his question. I owed him that. "Yes," I answered simply, and paused. But as I opened my mouth to say the rest, to tell him that things had changed, he let out a laugh that made me jump in fright. He placed his hands on the back of his head, looking incredulous and amused at the same time.

He calmed down after a moment, and sighed with a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. His smile fell, and he walked up to me, his body a mere inch away from mine. I could feel his heat, smell his musky scent. He was so close, I could touch him, rub my hands over his chest, feel his hard biceps, trail my fingers over the light stubble on his jaw. He was so close…yet so far.

"So, all of this—" he paused, looking intently into my eyes, "the phases and stuff—was to get back at me, right?" I felt the strong urge to look away with guilt. I struggled against myself to keep up the constant connection in fear that he would disappear. "Is it because of what I do with women?" He picked up the heart necklace that was resting against my chest, and rubbed it between his fingers. "Or is it because I rejected you?" My eyes narrowed in anger, but I could feel traitor tears begin to well up. He showed no emotion, just a blank expression with a hint of cockiness. "Ah, I'm right, aren't I?" He chuckled deeply and shook his head, dropping his hand down to his side. "Isabella Swan…" His tone was but a whisper, "you've grown up to be one _pathetic_ woman…"

That was enough. I pushed him away roughly, and stepped around him, my shoulder bumping into his. A sharp jolt of heat shot through my arm. How dare he…? How fucking dare he? I could feel his eyes on me as I began to walk away. I was done here. I needed to go inside now and away before I fucking lost my shit. However, as soon as he spoke again, I stopped all movement, but refused to turn around and see his fucking cocky face.

"And all this time you thought you were playing me, but I was playing you, too, you see." He chuckled. "I'm sure you knew that, though. But what you failed to realize is that the game never stopped for me."

I turned around, and furrowed my brow, confused at his words. "What are you saying?" I asked.

The corners of his mouth slowly turned up into a defined smirk. "I'm saying...that I wanted a good fuck," he admitted crassly. "You've been a challenge, so I've stuck around. You're still stubborn as shit and won't give me what I want, but I can assure you that you've been nothing to me other than just that—a fuck."

I looked away, trying to keep my emotions in check, trying to keep the tears at bay. I knew that he wasn't lying. The entire time, I'd been wary of how he felt about me, never really sure. Alice had always said he was changing—even Emmett thought so—but I'd been hesitant, and now I knew why. He'd never actually fallen for me. He'd always been in it to get one thing. And I was sure it was worth it for him because I wouldn't give it up easily. That would've made him want to stay around longer to see if he could crack me. So, in the end, I never really knew him. All my kisses and caresses had been a lie in the beginning and changed to something real later, but all of his…they were an act the whole time.

I felt hurt, heartbroken, crushed. I'd allowed myself to give in, once again, to this man, but I should've known that I was playing with fire and that he'd never change. Not for himself—not for anyone.

"Have I upset you in some way?" he questioned after a long moment of silence. I didn't dare meet his eyes, knowing what I'd see in them. I could hear in his voice alone that he was smug. "I have, haven't I?" His tone was sadistic and daunting, and it made me cringe. "It's only the truth." He chuckled humorlessly. "Truth. What a goddamn fucking joke of a word. No one tells the truth. You weren't telling the truth. I certainly wasn't telling the truth. The word has lost all meaning, don't you think?"

I needed to go now. This was too much. I was about to crack, breakdown, completely crumble. I didn't want him to see me when I did. "Are you done?" I questioned, my voice hoarse with the need to cry.

"No," he said simply. "It's clear that all this stemmed from my rejecting you at that party in high school, am I correct?" I didn't answer as I stared off into the trees. "So, let's set the record straight and clear the air of why I did it, exactly." He walked up to me and grabbed my chin, moving it so I would look at him, and I did. His eyes were dark, cold, and full of disdain. "I rejected you because you threw yourself at me like a fucking _slut_."

Rage bubbled up from deep within me. I had reached my boiling point now. I took a step behind me, wound my hand back, and with every ounce of force I could muster, I slapped him hard across the face, striking him with the years of hate I'd kept inside specifically for him. His head whipped swiftly to the side, his cheek pink with the shape of my stinging palm. I was out of breath, feeling as if I'd run ten miles. He didn't turn his head back to look at me as he spoke the next words.

"You failed," he spoke, his voice coarse. "You wanted me to fall in love with you, but that'll never happen. I will never fall in love with you, Bella. "

This time, I didn't stop the tears from spilling down my face, and I didn't try to mask it, either. His words pierced me like a sharp dagger in the heart, blood seeping down my cold, lifeless body. I turned and walked away from my past and from my present. It was over. I was done. There would be no future.

The first time I was humiliated by him as a teenager, it was horrible. It scarred me for years and changed my life in ways I never imagined. But this…this humiliation was ten times worse. It was different this time, because I knew now why he'd rejected me all those years ago and why he'd rejected me again. And I was a fool to have continued this charade knowing what I did now. And his cold, harsh words, echoing infinitely in my head, were only a reminder of what I knew all along.

_I will never fall in love with you, Bella.

* * *

_

**A/N:**

**If you're anything like me, and you bawled your eyes out, then I'm sorry; however, I'm a wuss. Trust me, though. I envisioned this from the very start and it's going somewhere. **

**Bella's necklace Edward got her is on my profile. **

**See ya next Tuesday.  
**

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx

* * *

**

**RECS**

**_ABC Countdown_ by aylah50  
-Edward and Bella are both teachers at an elementary school. If Teacherward alone isn't hot enough, I don't know what is. It's only a few chapters in, but it's pretty smutty. Hot. Love it.**

**_Bella? Marie?_ by Nyomixx  
-Nanny Bella and Daddy Edward, but with a spin. Bella, on a night out, gets a complete makeover and decides to go by Marie. She runs into her boss, Edward, who doesn't recognize her. They get it on. Bella thinks it's a one time thing, but both realize they want more. Edward also battles wanting Marie sexually, and starting to develop feelings for Bella.**

**_Enchante_ by rpgirl27  
-This is a period piece, which I understand a lot of people don't get, but this is done VERY well and is one of my favorites right now. Edward is a seedy manwhore, if you will, and feels a pull to Bella, who is somewhat unattainable for the standards of that time. Although Edward wants to commit to Bella, his innate nature is not to, but he tries his hardest. I'm always afraid he'll revert back to his old ways. I pretty much bow down to this author because she spends so much time researching facts and I always feel like I'm learning new things about history. Plus, holy damn, it's sexy as hell. The lemons are…yeah. **


	25. Pulse

**A/N:**

**Holy Toledo, guys. You went nuts over what Edward said. I loved seeing how passionate you guys were about it, because yeah, what he said was douchey. And I'm so sorry many of you cried. You all are troopers, though, and I thank you for putting up with this story as it wraps up. I had a poll on twitter asking my followers if they wanted to split this chapter in half, and most said no, so for those that are annoyed with the length, truly sorry. Should've voted. ;-) **

**Beta is Lindz26, who is awesome. Thanks to my fictwin Belindella for her kickass job helping me fine tune this chapter. She notices when I by accident write "shit" instead of "shirt" ahahaha. I was almost tempted to leave it just to provide you guys with some comedy relief this chapter. My typos = hilarious in itself. **

**WARNING: Adult situations ahead. If you are under 18, then please go to your local record store and buy Justin Bieber's most recent CD. Then play "Baby" on repeat. Afterwards, purge your soul of your sins for listening to that voodoo devil music! Heathen! Thank you.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward shows up in Forks. The resulting conversation leaves her heartbroken.

* * *

**

**~*PULSE*~  
*EDWARD***

It was all a lie. Everything I said. A lie…just like us. We were never real. We were simply molded from her clay that she'd carefully constructed. I'd stood there, stared her straight in the eyes, lied, and she didn't even know. Her tears of anger and rejection just about killed me, but I did it for one reason, and one reason alone. I told her that I'd never fall in love with her, but really, she'd never fall in love with me, and I knew it. She thought of me as a joke, someone who could be easily used and made a mockery of because of a past grievance. Bella Swan could never love someone like me, not after what I did to her. And to be perfectly honest, I was hurt, in pain, and destroyed because of what she'd done. The fact that she was wearing the necklace I'd bought her, the necklace that I envisioned myself giving her for weeks, made everything worse. The only way to make me feel better in the slightest was to turn the tables, to tell her that I'd used her, too, and even to insult her.

It didn't work.

I felt miserable and incomplete. When she slapped me, I welcomed it. I deserved it for all I said and did to her to make her this way, someone cold and heartless. Yet, even as I tried my best to tear her down, I still felt it—that inexplicable throbbing in my chest that wanted to burst out. I was head over heels for her. Why did it have to be this way? Why did I have to fall for someone I could never have—who was my enemy, who got her rocks off from seeing me miserable, who was completely off limits.

Yes, Bella—or should I say _Isabella_—was off limits. She'd been since high school. I'd never really known or cared who she was all through school until our senior year. She'd filled out considerably, growing curvier, which had a lot of guys staring at her. But she was innocent, she was shy—she was _exactly _my type.

While I had been with Emily, I began to notice Bella more and more, observing her sweet disposition. She was like a rosebud just on the cusp of blooming. I loved watching her as she'd draw on her jeans or collect her books from her locker. She was reserved and an introvert, for sure. It was appealing to me at the time. And the fact that she was so clueless to me secretly watching her intrigued me even more.

I wanted her.

Of course, I wanted the chase more than anything. I knew Bella would be hesitant and shy if I approached her, and that thrilled me beyond belief. I craved to have her under me. Even though I was still with Emily, I knew that I would try to target Bella soon. I'd never planned ahead before, only focusing on the person I was with until I was done with them, so it was new, but I had to have her. I was young and much more sexually driven than I was now. In my adulthood, I'd learned that women wanted to feel a connection to someone before sleeping with them. In high school, I hadn't worried about that. I'd simply utilized my charm by paying a bit of attention to them and then they were mine. I figured Bella would be no different when I decided to work on her.

Then everything with Emily blew up in a shit storm and my plans were shot to hell. When I'd become careless with my drug usage and got busted for it, I'd spent an evening in jail before my parents bailed me out, but that night changed my course in more ways than one.

X-X-X-X

**Flashback – Senior Year**

_This was fucking bullshit. I didn't deserve to sit in this goddamn jail cell with some fat ass dude with B.O that kept fucking looking at me, and by me, I meant my crotch. I mean, it was just fucking coke. Who didn't snort that shit these days? But even with that, I knew I was in some serious shit. When I'd gotten my phone call and dialed my parents' number, they were sure as fuck angry at me, grounding me on the spot. I'd managed to keep my drug usage under wraps from them for a while, so if they didn't know before, they would definitely know now. _

"_Edward Cullen," one of the guards called outside the jail cell. I lifted my head from my hands as I sat on the fucking dirty bench that was in here. I was in a groggy daze, left over from the coke I'd snorted at the party. "Wake up. Your parents are here." I wasn't fucking sleeping, you shithead. God…cops were dumb as hell. _

_My father and mother appeared in front of the jail cell, their faces marred with anger and disappointment. I only managed to look at them for two seconds before I dropped my eyes in guilt. Fuck. I hated that look, almost shoving it in my face that I was a screw up. I already fucking knew this. They didn't need to look at me like that. _

_I stood from the bench, ignoring the fat fucker next to me as he now stared at my ass. My mother had her arms crossed and my father had an eyebrow arched as his scathing look incinerated me. _

"_Honestly, Edward," Dad started, "this is what you've been doing with your time? Doing drugs at parties?" I didn't know how to reply to that because it was true, so I didn't. _

"_I am beyond disappointed with you," my mom admitted. "I don't even know who I raised. I thought—" She stopped suddenly and brought her hand to her eyes, shrouding them. She was crying. My father rubbed my mother's back soothingly, and after a moment, she dropped her hand, revealing her slightly red eyes. "I thought we brought you up better than this." _

_The guard, who had been watching us, suddenly stepped in and opened the jail cell door, letting me know that I could step out. My parents turned and walked on ahead of me as I began to follow behind them, not speaking at all. I was beginning to feel the pain that I'd caused my parents and I couldn't handle it. I didn't want to. All I wanted to do was crawl into a dark corner and hide from everyone. _

_My mom abruptly stopped walking down the short hallway towards the main office and spun around to face me. "How could you be so reckless, Edward? I can't even fathom that my own son could get involved in such behavior. Were you using that poison in our home?" I shifted on my feet a bit, because I had. In my room, actually. Daily. "Never mind, I don't want to know. You are lucky you got off scot-free, Edward. Unbelievable…"_ _She turned back around and began walking again, much angrier than before. _

_We made our way into the office part of the station. I could see Chief Swan with his legs perched up on a desk as he looked through a folder. I swallowed thickly as we neared him. He'd been the one to bust the party along with some of his officers. The memory of him finding me mid-snort was enough to make me wish I was back in the cell with that fat dude. _

"_Chief, thank you for all you've done," my father said, garnering Chief Swan's attention. _

_Chief Swan set the folder down slowly and looked up at my parents with no emotion, not bothering to acknowledge me. "It's not a problem. You remember what I told you, though," he said, warning in his tone. _

"_Of course," my mother assured. I looked between them, wondering what they were talking about, but not able to fully comprehend anything because I was still out of it. _

"_We'll send it over first thing Monday," my dad said, and Chief Swan merely nodded once in response. "Let's go, Edward." His tone was harsh, a stark difference from before. _

"_Actually, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a word with him alone," Chief Swan said. _

"_Yes, absolutely," my mother replied, and then gave me a stern look before she walked towards the front doors with my father. _

_Scared to even look at Chief Swan, I kept my eyes on the floor. I had no clue what he wanted to say, but I knew it wouldn't be good. When he didn't speak for an entire minute, I got nervous, and finally looked up. His eyes were searing into mine, scrutinizing me. He suddenly dropped his eyes to the desk and picked up the folder he'd been looking at before. Looking closer, I noticed that my name was stuck on there. Was that my record or something? _

"_You gonna get off the blow, young man?" he suddenly asked, flipping through pages in the folder. _

_I blinked rapidly, watching what he did. Even though he was asking me if I was going to stop using cocaine, it was more of a threat. I really didn't know how to answer him because drugs had been my refuge for a while now. How could I give that up? When I didn't answer, he glanced back at me with a raised eyebrow. _

"_Here's the deal," he started sternly, "you're going to see a drug counselor, you're going to shape up, go to school, get good grades, and go to college. Understood?" _

_I nodded quietly, feeling like if I didn't, he'd shoot me or something. There were a lot of guns around here…_

_He leaned back further in his chair. "You know my daughter, Isabella?" he questioned._

_My body went slightly rigid at her name. Of course I knew who she was. I'd been eyeing her for a while now. She was going to be my next conquest after I slept with the broad I was with now. _

"_Yes, sir," I managed to say. I wondered if that was really my voice. It was so raspy and gravelly, like I hadn't used it in ages. _

_He shut my folder and glared at me. "Stay the hell away from her, got that? If I find out you even breathed near her, you can kiss your future goodbye." He held the folder up, containing my record, and then slammed it on the desk in finality. His gaze remained on me for a few moments before he uttered the next words. "I'll be keeping an eye on you." _

X-X-X-X

I didn't talk or look at her once after that…except at the party that one night near the end of the school year. She was drunk, and I knew she didn't mean to throw herself at me like that. On the surface, I was saving myself, but in the back of my head, I was doing it for her, too. She was too innocent to get messed up with someone like me. Chief Swan had made it clear to stay away from her or my record would be shot to hell, and I knew I had to abide by that.

When I saw her at my club years after high school, I knew she'd looked familiar, but the connection from Bella to Isabella just never happened because I'd made sure to block most things from my senior year out of my brain, and it wasn't too hard, because for a considerable amount of that time, I was in a drunken or drugged up haze. She was different, too. Her clothes, her hair, the way she carried herself, it was all different. But there were still hints of that innocence in her that I could see, which was probably why I was so attracted to her initially. Now that I saw her, I couldn't believe how I didn't see it before. I should've known…but I didn't. However, it didn't matter now, because it was all over.

After I knew she was truly gone, I walked back out the way I came through the forest. I tried my best to keep my thoughts away from wondering what she was doing and if she was okay. She didn't give a fuck about me and I needed to treat her the same way, but I knew that would be next to impossible, because I'd grown to care for her immensely. Even though I'd come to Forks to get away from Seattle, away from her, I still couldn't stay away. I'd gone to my parents' house to cool off, to get my head together. I'd called Emmett before I left, telling him that it was an emergency and he needed to call me back, and he did eventually. When I'd divulged everything I'd found out to him, he wasn't shocked at all, and I wondered why. I knew he knew something, then, and I forced him to tell me. He spent twenty minutes filling me in on everything to do with the Bella's need for her club to be better than ours and that Bella was doing all this shit to me because I'd told her no when she'd thrown herself at me. She was getting back at me…because I rejected her…when we were _kids_. I was in such a state of shock that I couldn't even listen to Emmett's demands that I drop it all. Like hell I would! I hung up on him and shut my phone off after that.

I stayed in my old room, trying my best not to think about everything, but it wasn't working. She'd become a permanent fixture in my brain, one that was immovable. Before I knew it, I found myself driving up to where I knew Bella lived in her youth. Somehow, driving there put me at ease. It was odd, considering everything I'd found out was causing me a lot of stress, but just knowing her presence had one time been here completely calmed me.

That was until I saw her car in the driveway.

I was surprised at first, but then I remembered that she was staying over at her parents' house. Then I just became plain fucking angry. Did she really think that I wouldn't ever find out she was Isabella Swan? Our parents still lived in the same fucking town! We went to goddamn school together. But then I realized that she probably didn't give a shit. That she laughed at me because I wasn't able to figure it out sooner. That just pissed me off even more. My blood was coursing and my head was in a spin of rage as I parked my car a block down and walked up to her house. As soon as I saw her, standing across the street from me, I felt the weight of betrayal and humiliation burn through me, and I wanted nothing more than to throw it back in her face.

And so I did.

Yet I was still miserable.

I finally made it out of the forest and began to make my way out towards the street, when I saw a police cruiser I hadn't seen parked in the driveway before. Suddenly, the driver's door swung open and Chief Swan stepped out, staring daggers at me. Shit! What the fuck was I doing just coming to her house when Chief Swan lived here? Fuck! He was going to have my balls, I knew it.

"Do I even want to ask why you're here?" he questioned, practically seething.

I shook my head vehemently. The bastard could make me shit in my pants with one look. "No, sir," I said honestly.

"I distinctly remember telling you to stay away from her, and now I find out from my wife that you two are _dating_?" he questioned, but it came out as more of a statement.

"We're not, sir," I corrected, trying to keep my voice steady. We weren't dating. Not after what I said to her. I'd probably never see her again after basically calling her a pathetic slut, even though I never meant it. Not in the least. I could never think of Bella as that, even with all she did to me.

He raised an eyebrow. "You better be right. I don't need my daughter's car wrapped around a tree like that Emily."

I winced. Why the fuck did he have to say that? I'd already hurt his daughter emotionally, but if she were to be hurt physically, I could never live with myself.

"I assure you, that won't happen," I replied, my voice breaking slightly.

He nodded, still analyzing me. "Go on and get out of here. If I hear that you're still in contact with her after today…well, I'll be spending some time alone with your record, you hear me?"

I dropped my eyes to the ground. I didn't care about my record anymore. He could do whatever the fuck he wanted with that. It was Bella I cared about, and there was no way she'd be with me now, and quite frankly, I didn't know if I could be with her. So, he really didn't have to worry about me contacting Bella, because that would never happen again.

I walked out of the driveway without saying goodbye, leaving the memory of being with her behind, leaving my heart behind, leaving my soul…

X-X-X-X

I was on the highway, on my way back to Seattle. My tank was low on gas, so I had to pull off into a gas station. As I inserted my credit card into the slot and took out the nozzle, I heard a familiar voice I hadn't heard in a while, causing my body to stop all movement.

"Edward?"

I turned slowly, my eyes coming into view of the person whose heart I'd destroyed ages ago, who continued to haunt me even to this day. Was I hallucinating?

"Emily?" I questioned in shock.

A wary smile crept across her face and she stepped closer to me. She looked older, still pretty like she was before, but definitely more mature looking. The last time I'd seen her, she was trying to seduce me forcibly. It was strange seeing her after all these years.

She nodded in reply and was quiet for a moment before she spoke. "How have you been?" she asked, looking nervous.

I frowned, thinking about my life for the past month, and how it'd all gone to hell. "Okay," I answered vaguely. "You?"

She smiled, which was something I always liked about her. "I'm married now," she admitted, and held up her hand which had a small diamond ring on her third finger.

I looked closer, as if not able to believe it, but then pulled back and managed to smile back. "Married? Wow," I mused, feeling more at ease now.

She pointed to a black car that was parked next to the servicing pump behind my Vanquish. There were two young boys inside. "Those are my boys in there," she said, sounding proud.

I laughed happily. I couldn't even believe it, and yet I could. All this time, I'd hated myself for what I did to her, and she was married now with kids of her own. She was okay. Happy, even.

"That's great, Emily," I said genuinely, but in that instant, I was almost envious of her. She had a family now, and what did I have? I had nothing…except my club. And what was that compared to what she had? She had someone who loved her and kids that were a result of their love. Would I ever have that? _Could_ I even have that?

"I'm okay, you know," she said quietly, and I knew exactly what she was referring to. "I got therapy afterwards and realized I had a lot to deal with that didn't have to do with you. My parents were pushing me to always be something and it just got to me. I was always used to achieving my goals and I sort of channeled that into my relationship with you, so I could avoid everything else in my life." She chuckled nervously. "At least, that's what my therapist told me." She sighed heavily. "So, I'm sorry for everything."

She was sorry? After what I did to her? If I hadn't used her, she would've never reacted that way. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It's me who should be apologizing."

"We were young, Edward. We both made some mistakes. I don't blame you for anything," she said.

Her words soothed me, as if a huge burden was now being lifted off my shoulders. "Thank you, Emily," I spoke.

She looked over her shoulder at her car before turning back to me. "I need to go. My husband is waiting for us at home," she said, and then smiled. "It was great seeing you. Best of luck."

"You, too," I replied, and she was gone, leaving me feeling a bit more whole, but still not complete.

X-X-X-X

The hours slipped by once I got back to Seattle. I didn't go home; instead, I went to the club, needing to just keep my mind occupied. There wasn't much to do that Angela couldn't handle, so I stayed put in my office with the door closed, going over the schedule for the next few months and contemplating if I could get more bands to play at the club, since Breaking Dawn had brought a lot of success to us.

When there was a knock on the door, I barely looked away from my scheduler as I told whoever it was to come in, but I already knew it was Angela, based on her tentative knock.

"Sorry to bug you," she said warily, her voice quiet as if it was a secret.

I pushed the scheduler aside a bit and sighed. "It's not a problem. What is it?"

She cleared her throat. "There's a man here to see you," she whispered. "He's right outside the door."

I furrowed my brow. I definitely wasn't expecting anyone today to visit. "Who is it?" I questioned.

"His name is Aro Volturi. He says he'd like to discuss some matters with you about the club."

Matters? Oh great. Was I being sued or something? People sued for anything these days. "Send him in, I guess."

She nodded and went back out into the hallway. After a few moments, she didn't come back into the office; instead, a familiar looking guy walked into the room wearing a dark blue suit. Hey…I remembered seeing this creep that night when Breaking Dawn was here. He'd told me to enjoy my club, which I'd found odd at the time. He looked just as pale and creepy looking as he did then.

"Mr. Cullen," he started, walking towards my desk casually, "pleasure to meet you. I'm Aro." He stuck his hand out, and I shook it, feeling the need to wipe my hand afterwards.

"What can I do for you?" I inquired, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. If he was suing, I needed to find a way to sweep this under the carpet without much trouble.

"I noticed your revenue is up. Congratulations," he said with a small smile.

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay…" I trailed off, confused. "How do you know that?"

"Let's just say I have the inside scoop."

I analyzed him for a second, his cocky expression and confidence. He was up to no good, I could tell. I didn't know what the fuck he wanted, but I wanted him out. "Whatever you have to say, make it fast. I have things to do," I lied.

He chuckled. "Very well," he said. "My new club will be opening soon, and I've been looking for the perfect location."

"And?" I questioned. If he didn't talk faster, I was going to fucking make him by shoving my foot up his ass.

"I'd like to buy your club," he said, and fucking smirked.

"Excuse me?" I questioned, taken aback. What the fuck? "Satyr isn't for sale."

"Well, it isn't now, but name a price and I'll double it," he offered.

I gawked at him. He was fucking insane! "The club isn't for sale. Period," I said forcefully.

"Hmm," he hummed, deep in thought, and the room was silent for several seconds, making me feel uneasy. "Now, how do you propose you're going to continue your business when you have no employees?"

Okay, he was definitely insane. Didn't he see my employees when he came in? "Thank you for stopping by, but the answer is no to selling," I said, standing up from my seat.

"You didn't answer my question," he reminded.

I sighed, fed up of this loon. "I have employees. They're right outside. Go see for yourself." With that, I gestured a hand to the door. I hoped it didn't hit him too hard on the way out. No, actually, I certainly did.

"You're mistaken," he said. "I've offered them all jobs with my new club. They'll be getting pay raises and more benefits."

My eyes went wide and my face turned red with anger. "You have got to be kidding me," I growled.

He laughed. "I assure you, I'm not. Your bar staff will all be working for me once you agree to sell."

I shook my head and chuckled humorlessly. "They won't be working for you because I'm not selling."

He shrugged. "We'll see."

"Get out," I seethed.

He smiled and began walking to the door. "I'll be in touch with an offer shortly," he said, and exited the office, leaving the door wide open.

No later than two seconds after he left, Angela came in holding papers. She dropped them on my desk and looked at me cautiously. "Those are resignation papers." I sighed and snatched them off the desk. They were from most of my employees. What the fuck was happening? "I just want you to know that he offered me a job with him as co-manager of his new club. I turned him down."

I flopped into my swivel chair and set the papers aside. "Thank you, Angela, but I don't know if there's any point anymore," I admitted. I just didn't seem to have the fight in me like I did before. I didn't know what changed, but I'd just realized that I didn't care so much that my employees were quitting for something better; in fact, I wanted to let them go. I could always hire more employees, but to be honest, I didn't know that I wanted to. What would it be like if I didn't have the club? What would happen if I gave up all that I'd worked for? The idea didn't make me angry or sad. I just felt…nothing. If that was how I was feeling, then maybe I wasn't fit to own this club anymore.

X-X-X-X

Sitting on the couch at home, drinking a beer, I flipped through the channels of the television at the speed of light, looking for something to watch to keep my mind busy. There was nothing on. It was Friday for fuck's sake. Shouldn't there be movies or some shit? I stopped flicking when it got to the _Discovery Channel_ and resigned myself to watching this _MythBusters_ crap with two gay guys that always had a hard-on for each other as they busted unimportant myths. Fucking stupid. Did I really want to see if a house would explode if you pop a shit load of popcorn in there?

I heard the front door's lock begin to turn. Fucking Emmett. The ass knew all this shit that was happening and didn't bother telling me. He was gonna fucking get it.

The door flew open, and I was shocked to see Rose barreling past Emmett with a scathing look on her face. She was headed for me, and I had a feeling that I should cover my balls or some shit because she seemed _pissed_.

"I'm fucking sick of your ass, Cullen," she barked, throwing her purse on the couch I was sitting on.

"Now, Rose, babe, just hold on," Emmett urged, walking up to us.

I rolled my eyes. "Rose, if you're sick of my ass, stop looking at it," I quipped.

She placed her hands on her hips. "Shut up," she barked. "Do you realize what a dick you are?"

"First my ass, now my dick?" I questioned with a smirk. "What would Emmett say?"

"I think you need to stop being a smart ass, bro," Emmett warned, and turned to Rose. "Just calm down, okay?"

"No!" she yelled. "Don't tell me what to fucking do. How could you defend him?"

"I'm not defending him, but he _is_ my brother."

"Well, she's my friend, and I'm not going to let him fuck her up like he did in high school."

I groaned, finally realizing what the hell they were going on about. If this had to do with Bella, I was out of here. So, I stood and prepared to leave. "I'm going to my room," I said with no emotion.

Emmett walked over and pushed me back to sit. "Like hell you are," he said angrily.

I allowed him to force me to sit, my mind and body not caring anymore to fight him. I just wanted to feel numb, but the beer didn't seem to be working. Maybe I needed something stronger.

"Do you even care about what you said to her?" Rose asked. "Do you realize how insecure she is about when you rejected her?"

"Okay, let's not place the blame entirely on him because she still decided to do this revenge thing," Emmett chimed in.

I stared at him as realization washed over me. "You told _her_?" I questioned, my hand tightening around my beer bottle with a vice grip. "You told her about all this shit Bella was doing to me and you never said a goddamn thing to _me_, your own brother?"

"No, he didn't tell me. I told him. But even if he did tell me, what does it matter? You deserved it all," Rose answered for him smugly.

"Edward," Emmett started, "I didn't think she'd actually continue everything, especially considering she's in lo—" He stopped abruptly when Rose elbowed him in the side.

"Don't tell him that!" she demanded.

"Why not? He should know."

"He told her she threw herself at him like a slut, Emmett. You really think he would give a damn or that it would make a difference?"

"Yes, I do, actually," he said, "because isn't it obvious he feels the same? I mean, look at him."

I furrowed my brow. "What the fuck are you two idiots going on about?" I questioned, fucking fed up of their stupid conversation that didn't even make sense.

Rose sighed heavily in defeat. "Do you know what Bella is doing right now?" she questioned me.

I chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, she's probably writing in her fucking diary," I sneered, and took a pull of my beer, quite satisfied with my quick wit, but still feeling the sharp pangs of how much it all hurt.

Rose's face turned red and her expression contorted in anger. "See. He doesn't give a shit," she remarked.

"I think I know my brother, Rose. This is just his way of dealing. He's trying to protect himself," Emmett said.

I slammed my beer down on the side table next to the couch. "What the fuck are you now, some sort of goddamn therapist? Leave me the fuck alone for fuck's sake," I growled, infuriated. This was fucking bullshit. How dare they come in here and try to tell me how I was feeling? I was pretty sure I knew how I fucking felt, and that was anger at them all. They could go to fucking hell.

"Bro," Emmett said softly, "Bella's at her apartment, crying. She's a wreck right now."

My face showed no emotion, but my insides twisted at that. I was pissed at her, yes, but that didn't mean that the thought of her crying didn't make me want to break into a million pieces. Why was she crying, anyway? She wasn't the one hurting here. She was the one who was indifferent to all of this.

I shrugged. "That's too bad," I acknowledged.

"Unbelievable," Rose spat. "I told you he doesn't care, Emmett."

"Rose, can you wait for me outside?" Emmett asked, not taking his analytical eyes off me. I looked away and back to the television, not liking feeling scrutinized.

"What? No," Rose said.

"I need to talk to my brother, if you don't mind. I'll come out in a minute and get you," Emmett offered.

Rose groaned loudly in response and stomped off towards the door, disappearing behind it.

"She's right, Emmett. You're wasting your time because I really don't care," I spoke, but I knew that was a lie. I just didn't want anyone to see how destroyed I was over everything, and I didn't want to admit to myself that I was affected. I should be strong and get over all this. I should leave it behind and laugh at it all in a few years.

"You don't need to do that," he began, "to put up that wall just so that you don't feel anything. I know what she's been doing is wrong, but what you did to her in high school was pretty bad, too." It was. I wasn't going to deny that. I already knew what I did to her was awful, and if I could go back and undo it, I would, because maybe I wouldn't feel like this, so completely drained. "You two are more alike than you think. You've both been trying to hide your emotions so that you don't have to deal with shit."

I looked at him incredulously. "What are you talking about? Don't tell me I haven't been dealing with my emotions. I gave up everything I knew for her. I didn't have to stop screwing women. I did it because I fell for her."

"Yeah, but when you finally realized that, you went the complete opposite and refused to acknowledge that she was messing with you, even though it was more than obvious. You kept trying to think of her as this perfect woman."

"I never thought of her as perfect," I countered. I knew she had faults, everyone did.

"Maybe not, but you tried to turn your relationship into something perfect, when it wasn't," he said. "Look, the point is that as much as she's been trying to fight it, she fell in love with you."

My heart stopped beating and my lungs caved in on themselves. I swallowed thickly as my brain became fuzzy from the swirling emotions running through them. She couldn't be in love with me. There was no way. He was lying. How could she fall in love with someone who rejected her so harshly? After everything I caused her, she wouldn't be that foolish as to fall in love with me. It was impossible. She was smart and…she just wouldn't.

"I don't think so," I replied, my voice slightly breaking.

"You think she could really pretend to be in a relationship with you without feeling something?" he questioned. "Come on. I think you know better than that."

I pinched the bridge of my nose and shook my head. "She's not in love with me, okay?"

"What about you?"

I sighed, annoyed. "What about me?"

"You're in love with her, too."

I laughed humorlessly. I'd fallen for her, yes, but love? I wasn't in…love with her. I thought for a moment about it. But what if I was? I knew I felt completely empty now that I was sure we were over, and the thought of her possibly being in love with me—even though it couldn't be true—was making me feel…happy. I should be in a fucking rage, yet the idea of her loving me was something out of this world. Was that love if I wanted her to love me? That I practically yearned for it? If it was, then…shit…I was in love with Bella.

Emmett chuckled. "You should see your face, bro," he analyzed, and I hoped I'd never see what my face looked right now, because if it was any indication of what I felt, then I was royally screwed. "It's okay to be in love with her. You both need to just realize that and move on."

I shook my head. "Emmett, it doesn't change the fact of what she did to me. She used me to get back at me."

He rolled his eyes. "And what exactly have you been doing with women all these years?" he questioned. "You've been using them for your own needs, am I right?"

I blinked a few times. "That's…different. I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt…" I stopped when I realized that I was wrong. I had intentionally tried to hurt them, all of them. If I hadn't, then I never would've played the games with them. I never would've tried to win over their hearts as well as their body. All these years, I'd done exactly to them what Bella had done to me. Was this how they all felt when it was over? Like someone could run their car into me at full speed and I wouldn't feel a thing? Like the world could end but I'd welcome it? The feeling was cruel, and I hated myself for ever causing any of them pain. Now that I knew what it felt like, I was certain that I didn't deserve to be loved. Ever.

I hadn't realized that Emmett had left as I stared off into space. I looked towards the front door and saw him talking to Rose quietly. They seemed to be arguing in whispers, but then it stopped when they both came inside and took up stances directly in front of me. Rose suddenly held out a set of silver keys in front of my face.

"Take them," she ordered.

I raised an eyebrow. "What are they for?" I questioned.

"They're the keys to my apartment," she admitted, looking reluctant.

I furrowed my brow. Why was she giving me the keys to her apartment? Emmett grabbed them from her and sat on the couch next to me. He took my hand and placed them on my palm.

"You're gonna go see Bella and make things right," Emmett instructed.

For a moment, my heart leaped, but then it plummeted just as fast. "I'm not doing that," I whispered.

"Just put aside everything and talk things out with her at the very least. She's in a bad way right now," Emmett said.

"He's right, Edward, "Rose chimed in. "She's blaming herself for everything, saying you were right to reject her all those years ago because she doesn't deserve to be loved."

She thought _she_ didn't deserve to be loved? I was just thinking that _I _didn't deserve to be loved. This was messed up. I couldn't let her think that. If anything, she deserved to be happy. She had to know that. The fact that she thought otherwise put a weight on my heart.

"So, will you go?" Emmett questioned, and sensing my hesitance, he continued. "Remember when the whole Gianna thing happened and I told you you'd owe me? Well, that's now and I'm telling you that you need to see her."

I closed my hand around the keys and nodded. I didn't think I could say anything else, so I stood and made my way to the door, grabbing my keys and wallet on the way.

"Hey, Edward," Rose called, just as I opened the door. I stopped and looked over my shoulder at her. "She's really fragile right now. Just go easy on her."

I frowned and nodded solemnly, then walked out of the apartment, not completely sure if it was the right thing, but knowing that I had to see Bella no matter what.

X-X-X-X

As I approached her door, my feet felt heavy and my breathing became shallow. What the hell was I doing? I couldn't do this. How could I face her, especially now that I knew that I…loved her? Was it pure torture to look the girl you loved in the eye when she was supposedly a mess? How could I ever walk away from her afterwards?

I contemplated for a few minutes if I should just go in there. My car was just outside the building. I could run out there, hop in, and then drive somewhere far away, not turning back. It would be easy…yet it would kill me. No, I needed to do this. She had to know that she deserved to love and be loved. I knew I didn't and that I could never be the one for her, so I just had to face that fact and focus on her.

Just as I shakily began to slip the key into the lock, the door opened abruptly, revealing a tired looking Jasper. I remained frozen, hoping he wouldn't ask me why I was here. He watched me for a second with his eyebrow raised, then leaned against the door.

"I've just spent the last hour with her," he said suddenly. "She told me everything. What she's been doing to you, and what you said to her…" My eyes fell to the floor. If he hated me, then I deserved it. "Are you here to fix it?"

I raised my eyes to his, and I noticed that they were slightly pleading. "That's why I'm here," I admitted.

He didn't say a word in response. All he did was walk past me and out of the apartment. I exhaled, my breath ragged, and stepped inside, closing the door after me. I looked towards her bedroom door and saw that it was shut. My feet refused to move as my brain clicked. She was in there right now. In a moment, I'd see her. How would she react? What would I say? My brain fired off a thousand questions as I tried to figure out how to handle this, but I realized that I shouldn't over think things. I needed to just go in there.

As I stepped closer, I could make out muffled sobbing coming from her room.

She was crying.

My heart clenched in pain. This was too much. I'd hurt her. She hated me, I knew it. I even hated myself for what I said to her.

I managed to wrap my hand around her door knob and slowly turned it, trying not to make a sound. Before I pushed open the door, I breathed in and out quickly a few times. The door moved easily, quietly, but as it separated from the frame, her cries became louder. It hit me full on, invading my ears, knowing that it would hurt me. She was lying on the bed, on her side over the covers. She grasped tightly to her pillow as it covered her face, hiding her choked sobs. Watching her for a minute, I was overcome with the feeling to wrap my arms around her, to soothe her, comfort her, and tell her everything was going to be alright. I needed to touch her so badly. She was equally destroyed over this, if not more.

Then it had to be true…she was in love with me. _Bella_ was in love with _me_. My entire body warmed at that fact and in no time at all I was crawling on the bed towards her.

"Jasper, I said I'm fine. Go to Alice," she choked into her pillow, and it broke me just to hear her voice sound so defeated.

I hovered over her, placing one hand on one side of her body while my other reached for the pillow. She sniffled loudly as I slowly began to bring it down from her face. When I saw her cheeks flushed, her eyelashes wet from her tears, and her heartbreaking expression, I knew I couldn't live without her, this beautiful creature. She was so stunning, even with her runny nose. Her eyes were closed and her breathing was coming out in short bursts of air as she quieted down her crying. I couldn't help myself as I bent down and brought my lips to her tear-stained cheek, my body tingling with the relief that it brought me. She gasped loudly and shifted so she was on her back. When her surprised eyes met mine, they seemed to register my presence, and instantly turned into fury.

"What are you doing here?" she half yelled, half sobbed.

I reached up and caressed her hair, feeling how smooth it was. "Shh, Bella," I said softly, trying to calm her.

She closed her eyes. "Please go. You already told me everything. I get it now."

"What do you get, baby?"

Her eyes snapped open. "Don't call me that."

I sighed, trying not to feel burned by her words. "What do you get, exactly?"

She didn't respond to that, just merely looked away, silent tears streaking down her face. "Just go, Edward," she whispered, her tone a plea rather than a demand. She was in pain, and when she was in pain, I was, too.

I pressed my lips against her cheek again, not able to help myself.

"Don't," she said quietly.

I traced my nose along her jaw. "It's okay, Bella. I already know," I said. She tried to pull away from me slightly, but I grabbed onto both sides of her face and forced her to look up at me.

"Know what?" she questioned.

My eyes darted around her perfect face, breathing in every inch of it. "How you feel about me."

She shook her head and began to push against my chest, trying to sit up, but I kept her down. "I don't feel anything for you," she spat, and worked harder against me.

I encircled my arms around her back and brought her up to sit with her pressed against my chest. She was really fighting hard against me. "Please, stop. I feel it, too, Bella. I didn't want to admit it, either, but I've been going crazy. I love you so much." She froze instantly and glared at me. Not the reaction I was expecting. "You love me, too."

Angry tears slipped from her eyes as she squeezed them shut. She shook her head. "No," she choked, almost sounding desperate.

I hugged her to me and brought my lips to her ear. "I can't breathe without you, Bella. Tell me you feel the same way." She cried harder and I tried to soothe her by placing small kisses on the shell of her ear, then across her moist cheeks and to her nose. She let me, remaining still as fits of sobs raked over her. "You're everything to me." My lips hovered over her plump ones, aching to claim them passionately, but knowing I had to go slow, so I brushed mine lightly to hers. She shivered in my arms and immediately stopped crying, which gave me the courage to actually press my lips to hers, so I did. Her mouth remained still as I placed short pecks on her plump lips. She blew hot air into my mouth as she sighed, and after a moment, she began to respond, matching my slow kisses.

She was kissing me. She had no idea what it was doing to see her respond to me, how it caused my pulse to quicken and my heart to pump fervently inside my chest. Had she finally admitted to herself the way she felt? I desperately hoped she did, because I didn't think I could live with myself knowing she didn't feel the same way. I had gone from not thinking I could deserve her love, to wanting nothing but it. And her kisses were giving me exactly what I needed—her.

I unwrapped my arms vice hold from around her and brought my hands up to cup her face as I took her top lip in between my own. She tasted of salt and sugar all at the same time. A small whimper emitted from her, causing my body to react inappropriately, but I didn't much care. I was with her now and I didn't want to fight the love for her that consumed me. I wanted to show her if she'd let me.

She grasped onto my shirt, fisting it while her tongue snaked out and swept across my bottom lip, begging for admission. A thrill ran through me and I opened my mouth for her gladly, my tongue immediately searching for hers. Our kisses intensified, growing deeper, faster, and more desperate. I groaned into her mouth, my lust for her taking over my brain, but it was a different kind of lust. It wasn't the lust I felt for her when I'd first met her, it was a lust that was interlaced with love, passion, and yearning. I wanted her body desperately, but I wanted her mind more than anything. My lust for her was completely emotional, and I was hard with the need to share my love for her.

I pushed my fingers into her delicate hair and brought her down with me as I fell back onto the bed. She immediately straddled my waist, her jeans covered heat hovering over where I was beginning to ache.

I broke away slightly, showering kisses around the outline of her lips. "I love you so much, Bella," I breathed onto her skin.

She responded by capturing my lips again and grinding herself into my erection. I groaned loudly and pushed my hips up into hers, a wave of fiery passion crashing down on me. Not able to stand it anymore, I quickly flipped her over so she was under me and placed quick pecks starting from her collarbone all the way down to her stomach. I pushed up her shirt slightly, revealing her silky skin that I'd wanted to see for so long. It wasn't enough, though. I needed more of her. I began to move the shirt higher and higher, but stopped instantly. I couldn't let my need for her cloud my better judgment.

"Is this okay?" I whispered in question. _Please say it's okay._ _I need you so badly._

Her reply was a simple nod, her dark eyes hooded. With her permission, I tugged up her shirt, planting small kisses along the way until I had to break away from her to take it completely off. She raised her arms and allowed me to undress her. After I threw her shirt on the ground, I looked at her, her entire top half entirely bare to me. She obviously hadn't been wearing a bra, which thrilled me beyond belief. Her breasts were perfect, not too big, and not too small. I traced my fingers along the flesh around her pink nipples, watching as they pebbled in desire. The fact that I was causing this reaction in her made my dick swell, and I bent down, instantly taking a hardened peak into my hot mouth, and swirled my tongue around it as I savored her.

"Edward," she moaned, and wound her fingers into my hair, tugging on the roots.

I replaced my tongue with my finger, rubbing it gently, and switched to suck on her other nipple, encasing it in wet heat. I was so wrapped up in working her with my tongue, that I didn't notice my shirt being pulled up. Lifting myself to my knees, I helped her by reaching over my head, grasping the fabric, yanking it off in one swift motion, and tossing it blindly somewhere in the room. Her hands were instantly on my chest, feeling the hard plains of my abs, her touch driving me wild, making me crave her even more. When her fingers traced along the waistband of my jeans, I twitched.

_Are we really going to do this? Is she ready? Am I pushing her?_

I couldn't stop the questions from overtaking my thoughts, but as I stared into her brown pools, I knew exactly what she wanted, and I was sure that I mirrored her want. This was right. I wouldn't have it any other way.

I covered her hand with mine and trailed them both down to my fly. She began to unzip me slowly while I undid the button. I caressed the silky skin of her arm with my fingers, letting her know that she needed to take a bit of control here. I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable or forced into doing this. She slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of my briefs and pulled it down along with my jeans. When it was at my knees, I hopped off the bed briefly and shed them before climbing back on and running my hands up her long legs to her jeans button, her breath hitching slightly at my touch. She let me undo them and I took my time as I peeled them slowly down her luscious legs and onto the ground. Laying before me in nothing but a pair of royal blue lace panties, she was an absolute goddess. I wanted to worship her magnificent body. A bit too stunned to move, she wrapped her small hand around my engorged member, and I choked a breath.

"Shit," I cursed, and squeezed my eyes shut from the intense sensation.

She rubbed her thumb along the tip, coating my dick in the moisture that was beginning to pool there. I slowly opened my eyes again, seeing a look of determination on her face as she started to stroke me slowly. I sighed and ran my hands up her legs, feeling how smooth they were. As I got to her thighs, her strokes lost its rhythm and I smiled to myself, knowing she was becoming distracted. I removed her hand from me and hooked my fingers into her panties, then dragged them down her legs, moving my body along with them. I lifted her legs up, discarded her panties behind me, and then kissed both of her ankles with short, sweet pecks. Not satisfied enough, I dropped one of her legs to the bed, and moved the other onto my shoulder. I began licking a scorching hot trail starting from her calf up to her inner thigh. A soft gasp escaped her, encouraging me to continue. The pink flesh of her slippery heat revealed to me, and I eyed it hungrily, settling myself on my stomach. Almost immediately, she ran her fingers through my hair in encouragement, and that was all I needed before my lips surrounded her swollen bud and my tongue was encircling it with fervor.

"Fuck, yes. Right there," she moaned, tightening her hold on my, no doubt, mussed up locks.

My dick was straining between me and the bed, but I could care less. She was all that mattered to me, and doing this for her was causing me insurmountable pleasure as it was. But I knew that I didn't want her to come like this. I wanted to be inside of her when that happened. So, I flicked my tongue incessantly over her wet nub a few more times before I pulled back and crawled up her sexy body. She breathed out a sigh as I molded myself to her, our lower halves lining up in the best kind of way. My lips, moist with her arousal, covered hers in a flash and she greedily took my bottom lip between her teeth and sucked.

"Mmm," I grunted against her lips. She made me so fucking horny. "Baby, I need you."

"Take me, then," she whispered.

I pulled back to look into her big, beautiful eyes, trying to convey to her all the love I had for her. Her own eyes showed me what she was feeling. She loved me. I could see it.

I grabbed my length between us, positioned myself at her slick opening, and pushed into her little by little, her soft walls encasing me in her warmth. I held my breath for fear that I would come too soon; it was my way of trying to hold it off. It worked slightly, but not enough. Halfway inside of her, I had to stop to let the wave of pleasure die before pushing into her again. When our pelvises were completely pressed together, I brought her hands up on either side of her head and laced my fingers with hers. She held onto me for dear life as I slowly pulled all the way out of her and slid back inside with ease.

"God," she breathed, her eyes rolling into the back of her head. "Feels so good."

I smiled and latched my lips onto hers, beginning to set a steady pace with my strokes. Seconds, minutes, hours could've passed and I wouldn't have known as I kissed her passionately while rocking in and out of her, our souls joined as one. Her whispery whimpers became louder, turning to moans against my mouth. I pulled away and rested my head into the crook of her neck so I could hear her completely. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her core tightening more around my dick in the process, which caused me to let out a throaty grunt.

God…_fuck_…I never remembered sex feeling this good. Ever. I wasn't sure if it was just because she turned me on so much or because of the way I felt about her. It was probably a combination of both.

Slowing down my speed, I decided I wanted her in control now. So, reluctantly, I unraveled her legs from around my waist and slid out of her. I fell on my back next to her and pulled her petite body so that she was straddling me.

"Ride me," I demanded hoarsely.

Her cheeks flushed suddenly, and I had to fight with myself not to just slam up into her. I ran my hands all over her body, up her flat stomach, to her pert tits that begged me to grab them. As she sat on me and positioned my tip at her entrance, I cupped her breasts, squeezing them and pushing them together slightly. She began to sink down onto me, and I was home. I dropped my hands to her waist and dug my fingers into her soft flesh. She rocked against me at first, getting accustomed to the feel of me so fucking deep inside her. Fuck. It was the best sensation ever. After a while, she began to bounce on top of me and settled her hands on the plate of my chest. Instead of watching her body, which was beautiful, I lifted my eyes and settled them on her face, watching her expression as it overcame with rising pleasure. I wanted to see her explode around me, so I slid my hand down from its tight grasp on her waist and rubbed my thumb over her soaked clit.

"MmmphFUCK!" she practically shouted, screwing her eyes shut tightly.

I rubbed my thumb in a circular motion, feeling as she tightened further around my dick and moaned, which meant I was doing something right. Her fingers sunk into my chest, her nails leaving a mark. I picked up rubbing her when I began to feel my own undoing start to occur, and I didn't want to stop it this time if it meant I could get her to come before me. By the sound of her loud moans, I knew she was close, and I fucking reveled in it. I was making her feel this good.

Faster and faster I rubbed as she moved quicker on top of me. I watched as I disappeared in and out of her and groaned at the erotic sight. She was so goddamn sexy. It was almost surreal that this was happening, that I finally had her in this way. I wanted to prolong this forever, but I was severely close.

With a lengthy moan, Bella's walls clamped down on me tightly and her face contorted in pure pleasure. The sight was fucking gorgeous. She was a vision, glowing like an angel. I completely shocked myself when an upheaval of warmth began to take over me ferociously.

"Fuck, I'm gonna come," I announced in a growl.

I pushed up into her, the pressure deep within my stomach consuming me. My balls began to tighten, and I thrust up roughly one last time before I completely came undone, pumping my hot seed deep within her. I went blind for a second from the intense ecstasy I was experiencing, and then the physical sensation began to fizzle, but the emotional one only heightened exponentially. I was so fucking happy that I was actually smiling.

At some point, Bella had collapsed on top of me, her forehead resting against my chest. I was completely spent, but managed to bring a hand up and caress the top of her head slowly. She lifted her forehead, her eyes meeting mine, and then slipped off me. I frowned at the loss of contact. I would've stayed inside her forever. She fell to my side and I turned over to face her. She had her eyes closed, a contented look on her face, but she wasn't asleep. Her breathing was still slightly erratic. I reached up and tucked her slightly sweaty hair behind her ear, then leaned in to kiss her. She kissed me back unhurriedly, sweetly, before she pulled away and brought her hand up to the back of my neck, playing with the hair there.

There were a hundred things I wanted to say to her, all involving how sorry I was and that I didn't mean anything I said to her earlier. The truth was what I wanted to say to her, even down to what I'd promised her father ages ago. She deserved to know, so I was going to tell her. But when her fingers began to dig into the flesh of the back of my neck, massaging it expertly, I could only think of falling asleep next to her. Resigned that we could talk about it all in the morning, I wrapped my arms around her, bringing her body close to mine, and letting her continue her massaging as my heavy eyelids began to slowly close.

"So much to tell…" I managed to rasp out.

"Shh, sleep," I heard her whisper before I completely slipped into the darkness, knowing that when I'd come back out, she'd be my light.

When I woke up again, groggy from sleep, I felt a naked chill run through me and my arms were empty. This wasn't how I was supposed to feel when I woke up. Something was off.

"Bella," I croaked, and rubbed my eyes with my index finger and thumb. But when I fluttered my eyes open, a bright light invading my vision, I noticed Bella wasn't next to me anymore. I rubbed the spot on the mattress she'd been in last night to find it cold, as if she'd never even been here. Sitting up in her bed, I looked around her room and noticed her closet door had been opened and the bedroom door was completely closed. I remembered leaving the door open last night when I came. All that remained on the floor were my scattered clothes, hers missing.

I suddenly began to panic. We'd made love last night, and now she was gone. I'd told her I loved her, but she'd never said it back, even though I swore I saw it in her eyes. Something clicked in my head as I realized how familiar this sounded.

"Oh…no," I whispered to myself, my realization hitting me like a freight train burrowing down a track.

My heart sank and eyes became blurry. Nothing…_nothing_…would've ever prepared me for this dreaded feeling. A feeling I would never wish on anyone in a million years.

As I sat in the middle of her bed, completely naked, an ache in my chest, I recalled the words written in her notebook. I'd told her I loved her, we'd had sex, and now…she'd abandoned me. I was crashing hard, about to be burned alive.

My world had completely ended.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Dun dun dunnnn. **

**Guess what? Next chapter is the last one. Yeah, I know. *hears the roars of angry readers* I will not be answering reviews or messages that ask "Is this gonna be an HEA?" cause I've said the answer only a MILLION times throughout the story. So, if you want to flounce, okay, but geez, one more chapter, guys. You can stick through it, I know you can. **

**Long chapter. Lots happened. Would love to hear your thoughts. Review and fire away.**

**

* * *

**

**Recs: **

_**Broken**_** by jarielynn.  
-Bella is 16 and Edward is 21. When Edward goes home from college, he meets his younger brother's (Emmett) girlfriend, Bella. Edward is attracted to her, hardcore. He knows it's wrong cause she's so young, plus is taken, and everyone knows his hidden feelings, except Emmett who is oblivious to it. I found this by chance and I became engrossed. Bella doesn't stay 16 throughout, there's actually a time jump to when she's in college. Edward is pretty passionate. Good read. **

_**Coldwater Summer**_** by LeahTheWeary  
-Just started reading this. It's a southern romance fic, which is cute. Edward is the new swoony doctor in a small town and Bella is a southern belle that takes up an assistant job with him. There's an instant attraction, but obstacles in the way. This Edward is so darling. I just want to eat him up with a spoon. He's sweet, modest, caring, and so many more swoon-worthy traits. **


	26. Pure

**A/N: **

**If you like Hate Me and think it's a well thought-out plot, why not vote for it in the All Human Awards under the category "fanfiction with the most thought-out plot." Link to voting is on my profile.**

**This chapter is a split POV. I'm so not a fan of those, but I really felt disheartened when I realized that I'd have to end on one POV when both POV's have been so prevalent throughout the story. So, they both get their moment here. See you at the bottom!**

**Beta is Lindz26 and she is the best.

* * *

**

_**Previously…**_

**Edward tells Bella he's in love with her and they make love. He wakes up to find her gone.

* * *

**

**~*PURE*~  
*BELLA***

"_Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We've begun our descent for landing in Key West. It's a beautiful evening, as we expected. The temperature is a warm seventy-seven degrees…_"

I zoned out the captain over the P.A system as I looked through the window and out onto the sunset reflected water we were flying over. I was thankful there was a last minute seat available on this small plane to Key West, Florida. It was exactly where I wanted to be, where I needed to be.

We finally landed, and after several minutes, we were allowed to collect our things and exit the plane. I only brought one small bag with one pair of jeans, a few shirts, undergarments, as well as my tooth brush, hair brush, and, of course, my purse. I hadn't had time for anything else.

As I flew through security and customs, then wound my way towards the exits, I felt the warmth of Florida begin to wash over me. I stepped outside and my skin instantly flamed with the moist humidity, but I welcomed it.

A slew of cabs were parked outside the airport, so I grabbed one leisurely and headed off to the resort that managed to have a spare room available. The resort was beautiful and my room looked right out over the ocean. I really couldn't have asked for more.

Checking my phone, I saw that I had two voicemails, but the last thing I wanted to do was talk to anyone, so I shut off my cell and set it on the nightstand next to my bed.

After I got ready to sleep in just a shirt and panties, I slid under the covers and turned on the television. I knew I wouldn't actually watch anything, but I needed the sound it provided right now. The desire for my head to be void of thoughts was all I wanted. No more than five minutes later, I felt my eyelids shutting of their own accord, and everything around me drifted away.

In the morning, I didn't waste any time getting out of bed and leaving my hotel room. I needed a bikini and maybe some shorts, since it was like a million degrees here. The rest of the day was spent on the beach in front of the resort while sipping on a strawberry Margarita. I allowed the light Floridian breeze and the sounds of the soft teal waves to lull me, and soon, I was napping on the beach.

Time must've really slipped by, because when I woke up next, the sun was setting and seagulls were swooping into the ocean, most likely getting their dinner. I went back up to my room, my skin hot from being out in the sun all day. Feeling like I needed a cool shower, I went into the bathroom, taking off my shorts along the way. As I reached behind me to undo my bikini top, I caught my reflection in the mirror. My eyes immediately went to the silver heart pendant that rested against the plate of my chest. I hadn't even realized I still had it on. There was a slight pang in my chest, and before that went any further, I quickly reached up and attempted to take off my necklace, but the clasp was too small to work with. After many tries, I stopped and merely stared at myself in the mirror.

Before I knew what was happening, I was bent over the sink, tears streaming down my face, loud sobs raking my chest. Evidently, keeping my mind blank was easy, but keeping my emotions at bay wasn't. With the onslaught of my emotions burrowing down on me, then came the suppressed thoughts.

I couldn't do it.

After weeks and weeks of planning and plotting, I couldn't finish off what I'd set out to do. Phase five was supposed to be the best one. It was supposed to be my reward after all the work I'd put in. But I couldn't do it. I knew exactly why, too, and that alone terrified me.

I hadn't stayed at my parents' house very long after I left the forest; in fact, I hadn't wasted any time grabbing my car keys, purse, and leaving. My father had come through the door and I couldn't even say hello to him because I knew there was only so much time before I completely broke down. As soon as I got home, I did just that. My roommates were worried beyond belief and I barely could string together two words properly to tell them what happened. It took a long time to get it out over all the crying, but I was finally able to vocalize what Edward had said to me, why he'd rejected me, and that all the time we'd spent together was just a challenge for him to sleep with me. I stayed in my room, pitying myself because I realized after everything that had happened that I still liked him and I didn't know why it couldn't just stop. Even with what he'd done to me and what I did to him, the need to kiss him and have him wrap his arms around me was almost the most dominant desire within me. It wasn't right feeling so strongly about someone who clearly would never want me. So, I started to blame myself.

I'd gone years of messing with guy after guy, but at the bottom of it all, I still had that hidden away fantasy of wanting to be with Edward. I was an adult, hung up on a high school crush. Specifically, a high school crush who wanted nothing to do with me. Even with all the guys I'd been with, none of them were remotely anything I wanted. With Edward, though it was all a ruse, I felt the happiest and most normal with him. What the hell did that say about me? That I would always just want one guy and would never be romantically happy? Did I actually _want_ to be romantically happy? It turned out that I did, the more I thought about it. I wanted a relationship. I wanted to build a foundation and partnership with someone that I could love and would love me in return. And I wanted all those things with Edward. That alone was what killed me. I couldn't ever have him the way I wanted all along. And because I couldn't have him, I wouldn't have anyone; therefore, I didn't deserve to be loved.

Edward had been right to reject me all those years ago.

There was clearly something wrong with me if _he_, the only person I wanted, didn't want me back.

Rose and Alice tried everything they could to disprove what I was dishing out about myself, but nothing worked. Not Emmett telling me bullshit about how Edward supposedly felt, not even Jasper showing up. All that ended up happening with Jasper was me telling him all that I'd done, which made me feel ten times worse about myself because I'd lied to him for so long. He forgave me, thankfully, but that didn't fix how broken-hearted I was.

Rose, Alice, and Emmett had probably gotten fed up of me because they left. Jasper had stayed, but after a while, I didn't know if he was still even in the apartment. My bedroom was silent. All I could hear was my choked breaths as I sobbed pathetically into my pillow. I hadn't realized my pillow had vanished until I stared up into a pair of haunting green eyes.

I turned away from my reflection and wiped my face of any tears that had collected on my cheeks. I refused to let myself break down like this. I'd come here for the sole purpose of forgetting it all, to get over the past. The sun, the beach, the heat was all supposed to help me move on. Yet…I was still in pieces.

Not even bothering to shower or change out of my bikini, I got into bed and switched on the television. The glowing light filled the darkened room and I brought the covers up to my chin.

I felt so alone…so incomplete…but this was the right thing. I'd finished what I needed to do, even though I hadn't gotten to the last phase, and now I could be done with it all. I now had the closure I was seeking.

Oh, who the fuck was I kidding? I didn't. I had no fucking closure. I was so fucking in over my head in love with the bastard. I'd known how I felt as soon as I saw him in my bedroom, on my bed, hovering over me. I tried not to appear vulnerable and shattered, and it was hard with him trying to tell me how I was feeling. I knew exactly how I was feeling without him having to fucking broadcast it, but what really was shitty was that he tried to tell me _he_ loved me, too. He was trying to break me even more. Weren't his words about me being a slut enough? He had to really drive the spear even further into my heart by lying to me, telling me what I wanted to hear. As much as I tried to deny it to him, I couldn't help but lose myself in the way he felt as he wrapped his arms around me, as he leaned in and lightly kissed me.

This man made me weak.

It was almost a sin. I tried to stop myself from becoming consumed by him, but at that point, I was so far gone; lost to his touch, his lips, his tongue, his minty breath caressing me. He told me he loved me again, and looking into his eyes, I felt warm and comforted. And then I wondered…maybe he really was in love with me. It was all confusing. How could he say that he loved me with everything he'd told me back in Forks? A war was waging in my head, telling me he was full of it and trying to seduce me to get back at me, while another part was trying to convince me that, yes, he had fallen in love with me. In the end, I switched off my brain and just allowed myself to feel him, to let him do to me what I craved for at that moment—skin to skin contact and the feeling of ecstasy that I knew only he could provide me.

When it was all over, and we were lying next to each other, Edward started mumbling something incoherent under his breath as he dozed off. His warm arms cocooned me and his body pressed tightly against mine. I let myself have a moment to enjoy having him finally. The way I had envisioned long ago. I nuzzled into his neck for a while as he slept, until the lust-filled cloud began to evaporate and my paranoia kicked in full force.

During our love-making, I'd thought I saw the sincerity in his deep, emerald eyes, but he was a good liar. I'd been fooled by him more than once, so maybe he was tricking me. He said so himself in the woods that he'd been messing with me the entire time as I had with him. How did I know if he was telling the truth?

I didn't.

And to top it all off, I was sure I was in love with him. If he was just playing with me, then that meant that he'd won. He'd managed to get me into bed, and I had just handed my body over to him freely. But I hadn't given myself to him emotionally. The three words that he'd spoken to me, whether genuine or not, I hadn't spoken back for fear of completely succumbing myself to my desire for him. If he was really in love with me, wouldn't he have wanted me to say it back to him? I wondered if he spilled those words to all the women he was involved with. My guess was that he would've said anything they wanted to hear as long as they got into bed with him in the end.

The more and more I thought about it, the more I was sure that my feelings were one-sided. I couldn't stay and let myself be humiliated by him. Twice was enough. So, I did what I needed to do—I packed a few things, and I left, not bothering to tell anyone where I was going.

A while back, I had it in my head that when things were over with Edward, I'd take a trip to the Bahamas. Of course, that would've been after I'd had a chance to see him spiral out of control after he fell in love with me, but things didn't quite work out that way. One, I didn't think he was actually in love with me, and two, there were no available flights out to the Bahamas. I settled for the next best thing, which was Key West.

I turned on my side as a frightening infomercial came on, showing how great Snuggies were. My phone on the nightstand hadn't even been touched by me for the past two days I'd been here. I wasn't really sure how long I'd stay. I was just taking it a day at a time. Exhaling shakily, I reached over to my phone and turned it on. The two new voicemails were still there. Was there a chance that they were from Edward? Most likely not, especially if he'd gotten what he wanted out of me. Though, I couldn't help but feel uneasy as I brought the phone up to my ear. I waited anxiously, listening for that deep, soothing voice of his. But it didn't come…

"Bella, it's Rose. Not really sure where you are, but…things aren't good here."

I sat up in bed and shut off the TV. My heart rate began to speed up in anxiety. Rose's tone was distressed, and I knew that something was wrong.

"Marcus quit today. He said something about better opportunities. It turns out, Aro gave him a managing job with his new club. The bastard had been planning on leaving for weeks without telling us. We also got an offer from Aro and it's pretty generous. Alice and I have decided to take his offer."

"What?" I shouted, but to be honest, I wasn't angry. I felt weak. I knew deep down that it was all over—our club…Edward. The idea of that only sunk me more into my own despair.

She continued, "I know we didn't talk to you first about it, but it's better in the long run for us, I think. Alice doesn't really want to own the club anymore, and while I still do, I don't know if I have the ambition or drive to continue on like I did when we first started. I'm so sorry, and I know that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth." She stopped for a moment. "Look, there's something else I need to tell you. I know that you're probably off dealing with things or whatever, and I know that I supported you with getting back at Edward…but…" she paused, and took a deep breath, "I can't anymore. He hasn't been doing well after you left. He won't speak to anyone, he's just like a zombie, and on top of that he—"She broke off, remaining silent for a moment. "He's selling the club, Bella."

"Oh God," I choked out, tears welling in my eyes. This couldn't be happening.

"I don't know why, but I'm positive it has to do with you. He's not saying anything, not even to Emmett. Aro offered him a deal and he just took it without speaking to Emmett about it. He loves you. And I know you love him, too. So, why are you there when you should be here? Please, Bella…just come home, okay?"

The voicemail finished and I found that I could barely breathe. I felt sick to my stomach. He loved me. He actually loved me. I'd convinced myself that he didn't, but he did. And here I was, trying to hide my feelings, when he was back home… selling the club.

Oh God…what had I done?

He didn't have to sell it! His club was doing well. It had so much more life in it than Touch&Go did. My club was done, and I couldn't say that I was upset about that. No, my head was completely somewhere else. Screw my club. I didn't want it anymore. The only thing I wanted was hundreds of miles away selling his own club. Why would he do that? None of it made sense! Not to mention it was wrong. I couldn't let him make a mistake like this. I had to stop him.

I quickly saved the message and then went onto the next as I climbed out of bed to gather my belongings.

I was going home.

But as soon as a familiar, stern voice wafted through my phone, I froze.

"It's your father. You're not still seeing that delinquent, are you? Call me back."

I blinked a few times, confused as to why he was asking me that. My mom had clearly told him that I had been seeing Edward. I called my parents' house immediately and waited for someone to pick up. My mom answered on the second ring and she didn't waste a single moment in telling me about the gophers she'd poisoned. I all but yelled at her to pass the phone to my dad.

"Bella, we're right in the middle of dinner," he said.

"You're the one who told me to call you back, Dad," I replied, aggravated. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long. I needed to go as soon as I could.

"Your mother told me you've been seeing that Cullen boy," he remarked, his voiced strained.

"So?" I questioned, but felt a pang of sadness, because that wasn't exactly true anymore.

"Are you still seeing him?"

I furrowed my brow. "What does it even matter? Even if I am, it's none of your business."

"That lying son of a bitch," he spat. "He told me he wasn't seeing you anymore."

"Excuse me?" I asked incredulously. "He _told _you that?"

"Look," he started, "that boy is bad news. Back when you were kids, I arrested him after I caught him at a party snorting cocaine. That kind of guy is no good for you, Bella."

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Dad, I already know about all of that. And I also know that you swept his record clean."

He didn't answer for a moment, until I heard a lot of commotion in the background. "I'm gonna kill him," he grumbled, sounding out of breath.

My eyes went wide. Holy shit. He was going to go after him! "Daddy, no!" I shouted.

"That boy needs to be taught a lesson. He thinks he can lie to my face and put you in danger…he's got another thing coming."

"Dad!" I shrieked. "Just stop, okay? He's not like that anymore, I'm not in danger, and I love him."

He groaned for a long second. "I told him he needed to stay away from you, but no, he didn't listen. I should've known the rascal would try to defy me."

My mouth fell open. "What?" I asked quietly. "You told him to stay away from me? When was this?"

"It's not like the idiot listened. I told him back when you were kids as well as just the other day. It doesn't matter because I'm going down to the station now to take care of him."

And then it clicked. Had he told Edward if he didn't stay away from me, that his record would be affected? I knew my dad was capable of something like that, and it made the most sense. If that was so…then had he rejected me all those years ago because he'd been scared that his future would be ruined?

"Dad, if you do this, I'll never speak to you again," I threatened.

"Have my daughter safe or have my daughter never speak to me again…" he mused to himself.

"Daddy!" I yelled, practically stomping my foot. I knew then that this was a lost cause. He was just as stubborn as I was.

Not bothering to say goodbye, I hung up, certain now of what I had to do. Regretfully, my course had been changed, but at least I would still end up where I wanted to be more than anything.

With Edward.

X-X-X-X

***EDWARD***

I closed the cardboard box, taped it up, and set it by the door of my almost empty office. The movers would be here tomorrow and would take care of the desk, swivel chair, and other boxes. I set the masking tape on the desk and ran a hand over my unshaven jaw.

The office door opened and Emmett walked in with the same look he'd been giving me for the past three days now—a look of pity.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he said.

Not acknowledging him, I grabbed an empty box off the ground and walked around the desk. As I opened drawers and placed the remaining items in it, I could feel Emmett's stare on me.

"Why can't you just talk to me?" he questioned. "It's been days now. I get it. She left. But you don't need to withdraw yourself and give up on something that you worked hard for."

I gritted my teeth, trying to keep myself calm. He didn't understand. Of course he wouldn't.

"I just want to let you know that I'm allowing you to do this because you're my brother," he said, "but if you weren't related to me and you were just my business partner, we'd have a problem here."

I stopped placing items in the box and glared at him. "Fine, then. You can have sole ownership of the club, but don't expect me to stick around," I snapped, my voice hoarse from being unused the past couple days.

"Did you not just hear what I said?" Emmett asked. "I said that you're my brother. I'm going to do this because we're a team, but I don't think what you're doing is right; in fact, I think it's extremely rash."

"Oh, is that what you think?" I questioned, and chuckled bitterly. "I don't want to be here anymore. You can do whatever you want, but I'm not going to let you guilt me into staying."

"That's not what I'm trying to do. I just want you to think all this through."

I shook my head and dropped my eyes down to the box. "I've already thought this through. The club goes," I stated in finality.

He sighed heavily. "Well, I hope you know what you're doing," he said, and exited the office.

"I do," I mumbled solemnly, and continued packing.

Three days had passed since I saw her...since she was with me, my fingers grazing over her smooth skin, her warmth pressed against me. I'd run over that day with her a million times in my head, and each time, all I could think of was one thing.

I blew it.

I'd lost her because of me. I'd gotten so caught up in being with her and expressing how much I felt for her, that I hadn't told her that everything I said in the woods back in Forks was a lie, that I'd said it just to hurt her, and it had only ended up nearly destroying me. If I'd told her the truth rather than tried to show her my feelings, maybe she'd be here…maybe we'd be together. But she was gone now. All because of me. I was certain she thought I was lying to her.

More than once, I'd thought about calling her, trying to fix it, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. The stabbing pain of rejection was too much and I wound up wallowing in my own self-pity, wondering what I would've done differently and how I wished I could go back and change it all, starting from that day back in high school when all this started.

And now, as I packed up the rest of my belongings in my club's office, I knew that this was it. I wouldn't have a chance with Bella again, and I certainly couldn't hold onto a place that had all the memories of her here, that reminded me of how much I loved her, which was why I didn't even hesitate to give over the club to Aro. I hadn't signed it over to him yet, but it was as good as done once he and his lawyer brought over the paperwork later today. I could move on afterwards…or at least try to.

I taped up the box and set it by the door. I heard the club doors open and I wondered if that was Aro. Checking my watch, I saw that it was too early for him to be here. I groaned and made my way out of the office and onto the club floor. It was then that my eyes caught sight of the one person I never expected to see here. The one person that made my heart pound and my breathing escalate. The one person who had consumed my world, turned it inside out, and unknowingly made me a better human being. She was my entire existence.

"Bella," I whispered, not able to blink for fear that she would disappear when I did.

She was seated at the bar, her head trained forward. She was unaware that I was here, and I couldn't find the strength to move toward her—just the sight of her made my body weak. As if hearing my internal thoughts, she turned her head. Her beautiful, brown eyes found mine, and I could see a universe of emotions within them—excitement, anxiousness, hesitancy, even sorrow.

She stood up from the stool, but didn't walk to me as I stayed rooted in my spot, analyzing every inch of her as if it was my last time I'd ever see her.

"Hey," she breathed with a wary smile, her angelic voice instantly putting me at ease. "I think I know you." I furrowed my brow in reply, unsure of why she said that. She cleared her throat and took a few steps towards me. "Isabella Swan. We used to go to school together."

I blinked several times, my expression, no doubt, looking perplexed. Why was she saying that? I knew who she was…unless…she was trying to start all over. And as a sweet smile stretched across her face, I knew what I had to do.

"Oh, Isabella, right," I said, sounding as if everything just clicked. "Of course I remember you." _How could I ever forget you?_

"I go by Bella now," she corrected with a glint in her eyes.

"Bella," I whispered, and stepped right up to her, trying to control my hands from reaching up to touch her face. "I like that."

Her eyes fell to the ground and she shifted on her feet, but was still smiling. "I used to have the biggest crush on you."

I chuckled. "I used to think you were cute," I admitted, my eyes roaming over her flawless face. "And now…you're the most stunning woman I've ever seen."

_Oh, screw it. _

I leaned down and captured her soft lips, instantly deepening it. She responded and wrapped her arms around my neck, bringing me even closer to her. I could barely breathe as my mouth remained attached to hers, but I didn't care. My arms wound around her back, hugging her to me.

She was here.

I thought she'd left, and I honestly wasn't sure if she was coming back. But she was here with me. What did it mean? I knew we should be talking, but I couldn't bring myself to detach myself from her lips.

After a moment, she pulled back slightly, leaving light pecks on my jaw before staring up into my eyes with a devilish smirk plastered on her face.

"Boy, you really cut to the chase, don't you?" she questioned, keeping up her little game. "Meet today, honeymoon and kids tomorrow."

I laughed heartily and brushed my nose against hers, breathing her in. "Well…maybe not tomorrow…" I trailed off purposefully, and closed my eyes. "Thank you for coming back." My voice was but a whisper, grateful she'd returned even though she didn't have to. I'd given her no reason to ever see me again.

She burrowed her face into my chest, and I could feel her breathing deepen. "I'm sorry I left. The thing was that when you—"

I took a small step back and lifted her chin so she could look at me, effectively cutting her off. "Baby, I don't care why you left. The point is that you're here now." I sighed sadly, remembering that I still needed to tell her everything. "But there's something I should confess. What I said in the woods that day…it was all a—"

She interrupted me by planting a firm kiss on my lips briefly, and then pulled back with a soft expression. "You don't need to explain," she assured. "I had a talk with my father and he told me that he threatened you ages ago to stay away from me." She reached up and trailed her fingers along my stubble. I melted into her touch. "He got upset that I obviously knew more than I should and wanted to ruin your record. When I got home, I had to go down to the station and stop him." She chuckled. "Let's just say, I have to help my mom poison gophers for the next week, and then I have to spend every single holiday with them for the next…oh...until their deaths." She huffed. "I'm always getting blackmailed."

I laughed at that, but then my expression became serious. "Bella, I don't care about my record. I'd let your father do whatever the hell he wants to if it means I get to be with you."

She ran her hands down my chest. "You have me…_and_ your record is spotless, too."

I smirked. "Well, I guess that's a bonus, then."

Her face fell and her eyes flashed away. "I hope you don't hate me," she uttered softly, and it broke my heart.

I placed both of my hands on the sides of the face I wanted to stare at for the rest of my life and rubbed my thumbs over the apple of her cheeks. "I could never hate you, Bella," I admitted honestly. Even after all that happened, I just couldn't find it in me to think of her any differently than how I did now. "I love you."

Her warm, brown pools filled with glee and found mine again. "I love you, too," she replied.

The grin begging to erupt on my face couldn't be stopped. "Yeah?" I asked. She merely nodded, bouncing on her feet a little. I sighed happily. "You have no idea what that means to me." I brought her face to mine and was just about to press my lips to hers, when we were interrupted.

"Well, I hate both of you," an annoying, squeaky voice spoke behind me.

I groaned, agitated, and glanced over my shoulder. Seth had a mop in his hand, his hairnet on his head, and was glaring at us. Reluctantly, I let go of Bella and walked behind the bar, grabbing a rag. When I walked back around, I threw it at him carelessly on my way to Bella.

"Good," I said. "Go clean the toilets next. Emmett had Indian food today."

He moaned loudly and stomped off, muttering curses under his breath.

Wrapping my arms around Bella, I hovered my mouth over hers. "Finally. No more goddamn interruptions." With that, I kissed her with all I had, putting every ounce of emotions I felt for her—my love, my passion, my desire, my adoration, and my loyalty to her, because I would never, _ever_, love anyone but Bella.

She pressed against my chest weakly, pulling back an inch. "Don't sell the club," she whispered, almost desperately.

How did she know? "I…uh…" I fumbled, unsure of how to respond to her.

She shook her head. "Don't. Please."

Staring down at her, I knew that I cared for her so much. I'd do just about anything for her. And although I'd agreed to sell the club, I was certain that I couldn't and wouldn't keep it…unless… "I'll keep the club on one condition."

She raised an eyebrow. "What's that?" she inquired.

I pressed my lips to her forehead, then her temple, and down to her cheek. "If you become a co-owner."

She gasped and gripped onto my shirt. "I can't do that. This is your club, not mine."

"It'll be your club, too, if you agree," I said, hope filling my voice. How great would it be to come into work with her? We could sit in VIP and watch everyone around us enjoying something that we'd maintain together. We could change the name and turn it into a new, improved club.

"But…Emmett…" she trailed off.

"He'd still be co-owner, too."

After a few moments, very slowly, a smile began to creep across her face, and I knew her answer.

"Come, Bella Stork. I'll take you out to lunch and we can discuss it further there," I said, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her towards the exit.

She moaned, snaking her arm around my waist, too. "You're not going to call me that all the time, are you?" she questioned.

"Nope. Only when you're bad…which is about ninety percent of the time," I teased, and pushed open the front doors, the light from outside instantly flooding the inside of the club. "And hey, maybe one day I'll get to be Mr. Stork."

She laughed and walked outside. "I'm counting on it."

* * *

**A/N: **

_**This is an epically long author's note. If you don't want to read, click out right now! Wait no, review first, and then leave. **_

**DONE! Hope you enjoyed it. I was always surprised that the amount of people on Revengella's side and on Schemeward's were split down the middle. Some of you wanted Bella to continue kicking Edward's ass, and some wanted Edward to shut her down in some way. The epilogue will be coming around soon, but probably not on the same schedule. I need to find time to write it, but I'll try my best to get it out to you guys on time, if I can. **

**This story started out as a silly idea of Bella always one-upping Edward, and I had no clue anyone would actually read it. I just wanted to see a story where there's a plan set in motion and the character(s) follow through with it until the end. There are a lot of fics out there where E or B have a plot for revenge and then they give it up because they fall in love with each other, but I wanted it to be consistent right up until the last chapter, even though Bella didn't technically get to phase five. So, even though a lot of you screamed at me to make her end the revenge, I didn't listen to you. lol. I'm hoping you don't Hate Me (-****funny) for making her follow through with her plans. I think it's better that way. **

**If you enjoy my writing, you may be interested to know that I have another story coming out called **_**My Perfect Mr. Imperfect**_**. It's an ExB romance showing you can fall in love with someone's imperfections, rather than perfections. It won't be a comedy, but I always try to slip some in because that's just how I write. Here's the summary, and if you like it, add me on author alert:**

_**Bella wanted Mr. Perfect, but he didn't want her. When Mr. Imperfect comes along, can she look close enough to see just who is more perfect for her?**_

**THANKS:**

**lexiecullen17 – She worked on my story in the early stages and made it ten times better, also teaching me stuff along the way. She's a fantastic author and her stories were some of the few I was first obsessed with when I entered this fandom.  
Hannah81 – She beta'd my very first chapter as well as validated this story over at Twilighted. So, in a way, she sort of started me off with this story. Thanks, girl!  
CatMasters – She is wonderfuuuul. She's the ONLY person that knew exactly what was going to happen with this story in the end and even helped me fine tune some plot details. She especially liked knowing that Edward was going to shove Irina in the closet, and I have to agree. I'm grateful she kept all my secrets, lol.  
Sorcha_Cullen – An early supporter. Thanks for all the time you put in for pre-reading!  
Brandy-d – One of my early beta's. It was a privilege to work with someone that liked working on my story. Finding beta's who like your story is hard. So, thank you, girl.  
Irish-Sidheseer – Thanks for all the help you've given me through pre-reading. Your opinions meant a lot to me.  
Belindella – My fictwin! She just gets me and I love how dedicated she is when I need help with my stories. She doesn't pussyfoot, which is what I love about her, since I don't, either. She's also a fantastic author and has great stories, which you should all read. Thanks, B, for being there for me!  
Lindz26 – So glad I found you! Thanks for being an awesome beta and sharing all your Robporn with the fandom, haha. If you guys don't know, she does all those awesome manips of RPattz as sexy people. Not that RPattz isn't sexy already, but she makes him sexier. *blushes***

**And a huge thanks to my consistent readers who have been with me from the early stages and kept me going with your motivation and kind words. But also, thanks to my new readers who just started following the story and got to read as a whole. I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. **


	27. Axiom: Epilogue

**A/N: **

**I just want to say a huge thank you to you all for sticking with this story up until now. I've gotten to know a lot of my readers through this fic and am honored to see a bunch of you following me to my other fics. **

**I know the last chapter might not have been what you all expected or wanted because Bella did end up leaving, but I hope by the end, you realized that she wanted to be with Edward. Anyway, here's the epilogue. See you at the bottom.

* * *

**

**~*AXIOM*~  
*BELLA***

"Meet me in the office in three minutes," Edward whispered huskily into my ear, and kissed my cheek before making a dash across the club floor.

I casually sipped on my French Green Dragon, appearing as if I wasn't affected, when in actuality, my heart rate had skyrocketed unhealthily. Mentally counting to one hundred and eighty seconds in my head, I watched the club-goers as they all danced to the beat of the rhythmic music. It was a full house tonight, which had been nothing new for the last few months.

When Edward had asked me to be a co-owner of his club, I was a bit hesitant at first. I loved running Touch&Go, but I didn't think I could move onto another club that wasn't even mine from the start. But because Edward assured me that it would be a collaboration and that I wouldn't just be adding my name onto the co-owning list without bringing something to the table, I finally agreed. Emmett loved the idea of me co-owning, and before we knew it, Rose was a co-owner, too. We'd tried to get Alice on board, but she said running Touch&Go had caused her way too much stress. So, Rose and I resigned ourselves to the fact that she'd be simply our best friend instead of partner, as well.

I finished counting off one minute and sighed as I fidgeted in my seat anxiously. _Only two more minutes to go…_

It'd been five months since I came home from Key West and reconciled with Edward. Completely starting over seemed to be our only option, considering how much damage we'd done to each other while we had been pretend-dating. The wounds, obviously, hadn't been healed, but we took our relationship a day at a time, assuring the other that we were dedicated to being open and honest. As a reminder of that, we'd decided to rename Satyr to The Axiom, which meant a self-evident truth.

"Did you want another French Green Dragon?" Jake asked me with a smirk from behind the bar counter.

I slurped up every last drop and handed him the empty glass. I'd already had two and I was feeling light-headed, in a good way. Even though I craved another one, I knew I had somewhere to be in exactly ninety seconds.

"Nope, maybe later," I answered, suppressing a grin.

I was glad Jake was here, especially if that meant more French Green Dragons for me.

When Edward had turned down Aro's offer to sell, Aro became quite pissed and basically let us know in laymen terms that we'd better be prepared for some heavy competition. He wound up taking Touch&Go and turning that into his own glitzy, expensive club. All in all, we held up pretty well against him. He'd also managed to take all of Edward's employees, except for Angela, who stayed on as our manager.

As part of our deal as co-owners of The Axiom, Rose and I brought over half of our male bartenders. We'd wanted to bring all, but Emmett and Edward refused to have a bunch of hot guys running around serving our customers, so we compromised for the sake of their egos and they hired several female bar staff to make it even. However, every Tuesday, we'd still get a bunch of women stopping around and asking where all the half-naked men were. Because of that, we agreed to bring back Testosterone Tuesday in a different fashion. All of our staff, both male and female, would wear skimpy outfits and we changed the name to Tease Tuesday, instead. It worked out for me, seeing as I still got to look at half-naked men…even though I only had adoring eyes for Edward now.

Okay, I still looked at the nakie guys. Sue me.

I only had one minute left until I needed to head over to our office where Edward was, no doubt, waiting for me. I snickered to myself mischievously, remembering the deal we'd all made when we launched The Axiom.

Emmett had made it a point that because we were two couples teaming up, that we couldn't go around having sex in the club. He'd brought it up because Rose and Emmett had busted Edward and I screwing behind the bar one Sunday afternoon. It wasn't like anyone was around! We wouldn't even be open for several hours and Edward was pretty much a master at getting me off quickly. Nevertheless, they got angry and demanded no sex in the club. Of course, Edward and I didn't listen at all. For a few months now, we'd been sneaking off to the office and having quickies without anyone knowing. And in thirty seconds, I'd be with Edward, hopefully having multiple orgasms as fast as we could manage before Emmett or Rose busted us.

I stood from the stool, straightening out my mini skirt as I prepared to join Edward—most likely an already naked Edward. That image alone had my mouth salivating.

Taking a look around, I kept an eye out for Emmett and Rose, but they were missing.

"Bella!" I heard a man's voice yell out, which was slightly muffled over the club music.

I glanced towards the familiar voice and my eyes widened when I saw a flash of dirty blond hair making its way over to me.

Holy shit! It was Midge! Wait…no…Mark!

Fuck, it was MIKE!

I briefly pondered whether I could dive over the counter and hide, but my legs wouldn't move. Remaining frozen, I held my breath as he practically sprinted over to me, dodging people left and right. He looked on a mission, his brow furrowed.

_Oh my God. Is he going to murder me_?

My body went rigid at the thought. Shouldn't my life have been flashing before my eyes right about now?

No more than a few feet away from me, he reached into his jacket pocket for something. _Oh shit! He's got a gun! _But then he pulled out a small velvet box and fell to one knee in front of me, his chest rising and falling rapidly, clearly out of breath.

"Bella," he panted heavily for an uncomfortable amount of time. Goodness, he was out of shape.

Finally, after calming down, he opened the velvet box.

_Fuck! _

My eyes zeroed in on the large honker of a diamond ring, sparking under the colorful lights.

"I've been looking for you for months!" he exclaimed desperately, staring up at me with puppy dog eyes. "After that one _magical_ night we spent together, I found that you were gone the next morning. The only logical explanation was that you were kidnapped!"

_Dear Lord, please save me from this insane man I slept with. And please make sure to erase the image of his small dick from my memory, too. Amen._

"Um, Midge," I said warily, and then shook my head. "I mean, Mike. I really think you—"

"Wait, I wasn't finished!" he snapped, looking almost deranged. I instantly shut my mouth and discreetly eyed around the club for anyone I knew to tell our bouncer we had a loon in the house. "I went to the police and filed a missing persons report, but they laughed at me because I didn't know your last name or where you lived, so I hired a private detective and it led me here. And now here you are in one piece!" He held up the ring closer to me and my face drained of all its color. "Bella, you're the love of my life. Marry me."

"What the fuck is going on here?" an angry voice shouted in question.

I turned my head swiftly and saw Edward storming over to us, his face red and his eyes wild as he stared down Mark—Mike. Edward grabbed him by his collar and forced him to stand up.

"Why the fuck are your proposing to my girlfriend?" Edward asked venomously, and then turned to me, his expression never wavering. "Who is this guy?"

"Your girlfriend?" Mike questioned, his eyes flashing back and forth between Edward and me. "But we're meant to be together, Bella! Didn't you think so that night we made passionate love?"

Gawking at Mike, I fought the urge to punch him in the nuts.

"Bella," Edward said quietly, but I could tell he was seething, "is there something you want to tell me?"

Although I'd told Edward that I'd slept with a fair few men, I hadn't exactly been specific. It wasn't like I thought I'd ever see any of the guys ever again. Even so, I could see the doubt in Edward's eyes, and I was certain that he was wondering if I'd been lying to him all this time.

"He's one of the guys I was with before you," I assured, and then turned back to the moron. "Mark—Midge—Mike, whatever the hell your name is, I'm not going to marry you. I'm in a relationship."

"But," Mike started, looking like I'd just taken away his favorite toy, "you're meant to be Mrs. Newton."

"Alright," Edward growled, appearing fed up, "get the fuck out of here before I fucking shove that stupid ring up your ass."

Mike squared his shoulders and attempted to glower at Edward, but there was definite fear there. "You—you can't make me go. I've spent months trying to find Bella, and now that I've found her, I'm not going anywhere."

Edward wrapped his arm around my waist and brought me into his side a bit roughly. "If anyone's going to be fucking proposing to her, it's going to be me, so fuck off."

I nearly choked on air and tried to not physically acknowledge he'd just said that, but the sentence was now burned into my brain forever. I didn't think I was ready for marriage with Edward, but the idea that he was at least thinking about it had me internally ecstatic. I'd say yes to him in a damn heart beat, and I was sure he knew that, especially since he found out just how obsessed I was with him in high school.

The bouncer finally walked up and grabbed the back of Mike's shirt, trying to haul him towards the exit, but Mike put up an impressive fight.

"Bella!" he shouted as he was carried further away. "We're meant to be together! I'll find you again; I promise! I love you!"

When Mike had finally gone, Edward turned to face the bar with an angered expression. "Fuck," he cursed.

I sighed and slithered my arm to loop with his. "You okay?" I questioned.

"That asshole was _proposing_ to you," Edward growled, refusing to look at me.

I knew that my sexual history bothered him. In a perfect world, neither one of us would've been with other people, but that was just the way it was. It just sucked that someone from my past had to show up and mess with the foundation of trust Edward and I were trying to build.

I stood on my tiptoes and planted a brief peck on Edward's cheek. "I love you and only you, Edward."

He turned to me and wrapped his arms around my back. In turn, I locked my hands behind his neck. "Will there be any more of those douche bags coming around?"

I laughed. "I hope not," I answered.

He groaned. "Better not. I went into the office and you didn't show, so I came out to look for you only to see some ugly asshole proposing to you."

I smiled devilishly. "The ring was pretty nice, huh?" I questioned teasingly.

He glared at me.

"Kidding, babe," I said, and pressed my lips to his.

He inhaled through his nose as his lips responded to me, and then pulled back. "Do you still want to take a trip to the office?" he asked, waggling his eyebrows.

I chuckled and pushed my hips into his, already feeling his hard-on. "Meet you there in a minute?" I queried.

He shook his head. "Oh no, no. You're coming with me this time," he ordered, and grabbed my hand as he began to tug us away from the bar and across the dance floor speedily.

I smiled to myself, glad that we'd managed to get to this point where we were actually a couple now. Of course, we weren't perfect.

Edward very recently decided that he wanted me to move in with him. I loved that he wanted me to, and I really did want to, as well, but I didn't think it was fair to leave Rose and Alice with one less roommate and more rent to pay. They could always find someone else, but we were best friends and I couldn't separate us like that. Edward tried his best to change my mind, even to the point of bribing me with tons more sex than we were already having, and it was very tempting, but I still held firm. This, in no way, stopped him from bringing it up every chance he got, though.

In the mean time, we were still getting to know each other more. I'd even taken Edward with me over to my parents' house a few times. My dad was stubborn as hell and refused to even talk to Edward civilly. He still held a grudge against him, and I didn't think that would change anytime soon. Edward handled it all very well and tried to be as respectful as he could, knowing that I didn't want any arguments between them. But I also knew that Edward was a bit scared of him, especially because my dad would purposefully set his gun out in the living room so that Edward could see it. Edward would always eye it and swallow hard, trying to avoid my father's "don't fuck with me" stare.

My mom, on the other hand, took a liking to Edward almost straight away after he complimented her cooking. He was lying, but hey, my mother didn't need to know that. After that, Edward was my mother's best friend, and I swore I caught her checking him out a few times. I was just glad she'd finally gotten off the Jasper bandwagon.

Jasper and I had gone back to normal. I was happy about this, because I didn't really think I could lose his friendship. He was important to me and I made sure he knew that. Alice and he were still going strong. Jasper was even talking about proposing to her lately and started to ask me for advice on how she'd like to be proposed to. It was so hard trying to keep it from Alice, but I knew that in the long run, she'd be glad that it was a surprise.

Edward began to walk faster, and I was having a hard time keeping up.

"My goodness, what's the rush?" I asked, out of breath.

We arrived at the office, and instead of answering me, he pressed me up against the door and brought his lips to my neck, sucking and biting at the skin feverishly. I moaned breathily and fisted his shirt, trying to bring him even closer to me.

"If there weren't so many people here, I'd take you up against this door," he whispered raspily into my neck.

"So, are you saying that you'd prefer to take me if there were only a few people here?" I questioned, dazed as his tongue trailed a wet path to the hollow beneath my ear. Somehow, I still managed to be a smartass.

He snaked his hand under my shirt, inching towards my breasts. "Don't test me, Bella Stork," he said as he grazed his fingers over my hardened nipple.

I groaned out of annoyance and pleasure. "Will you ever stop calling me that?" I asked. I was starting to think he preferred calling me Bella Stork to Bella Swan.

"Nope," he said casually, and wrapped his hand around my breast. His other hand fiddled with the door knob until he got it open. He moved me backwards into the office, keeping eye contact with me.

"Oh shit!" I heard behind me.

Edward's eyes went wide as he looked over my shoulder. "What the fuck?" he yelled, and removed his hand from under my shirt.

I spun around and saw Emmett with his pants and boxers down around his ankles with Rose on her knees in front of him. My eyes zeroed in on Emmett's bare ass…and it was hairy. That alone made me scream.

"Oh my God!" I shouted, and moved behind Edward to shield myself from the horrific sight. I could hear them scuffling around frantically.

"That wasn't what it looked like," Rose said, her voice surprisingly calm.

Edward laughed humorlessly. "Yeah, right. So, you weren't just sucking on my brother's dick. Let me guess; you were checking to see if he was circumcised," Edward quipped sarcastically.

_He's definitely __**not**__ circumcised. _

"Bella, you can stop hiding behind Edward. We're dressed," Rose assured.

I narrowed my eyes and moved half of my body from behind Edward, enough to at least see if they were telling the truth. "I can't believe you guys," I started angrily. "You ragged on us for having sex here, and then you go and screw in the office. What kind of sick people screw in an _office _with everyone just outside?"

Edward began to quietly laugh, and I pinched his side so he'd shut up. He flinched and cursed under his breath.

"You think we don't know you guys sneak off almost every night you're here?" Emmett questioned.

_Busted._

I crossed my arms over my chest. "No, because Edward and I come in here to…play cards," I said off the top of my head.

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Then where are the cards?"

_Fuck._ "Obviously, we didn't bring them tonight," I answered haughtily.

"What do you usually play?" she asked.

My eyes turned to slits. "War," I replied.

"So, why are you both in here now if you don't have any cards?" she asked with a smirk.

I tried to rack my brain for another excuse, but couldn't come up with anything. "Shut up!" I yelled finally. "The point is that you both are hypocrites." Rose rolled her eyes and walked past us with Emmett in tow, leaving the office. "Admit it, I'm right!"

Edward kissed the top of my head, then grabbed my hand as we followed after them. "Remind me to call someone in to sanitize the entire office tomorrow. Who knows where his hairy ass has been," Edward whispered to me.

We all made our way over to VIP where Alice and Jasper were already sitting, waiting for us. They'd gotten our usual drinks, and we each grabbed them as we sat down.

"So," Rose started, looking excited, "Emmett and I have some news."

"Oh, I know. '_Ugly Bare Ass Blinds Unsuspecting Couple_,'" I teased.

She glared at me. "Anyway," she said, ignoring me completely, "we're moving in together."

"What?" I questioned.

"Oh! That's great!" Alice exclaimed. "Oh my God, Jasper and I are moving in together, as well!"

"What?" I asked, my tone louder.

"Yeah, Bella and I are, too," Edward chimed in with a smirk.

"What?" I shouted. This was a fucking blindside!

"Don't worry, Bella," Alice assured, "we'll take care of the lease."

"But we_ just_ re-signed," I stated.

"So we break the lease. Big deal," Rose said nonchalantly.

I groaned. "But won't we have to shell out money for that?" I asked.

Edward gave me a fake pouty look. "You don't want to move in with me?" he questioned.

"_You _and_ I_ will talk later," I barked at him. He wasn't going to get away with trying to trick me into moving in with him.

"It doesn't matter if we have to pay to break the lease. I really want to move in with Emmett," Rose admitted.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine. Whatever. Then you can stop using the club as your personal sex playground," I quipped.

Suddenly, there was a sound of glass shattering nearby. Looking towards the noise, I saw Seth pushing some guy who had obviously dropped his drink.

"Hey, watch where you're going, freak!" Seth growled, and stomped over to us. "I'm going out now. Bye." He spun back around, but Edward was quick and grabbed onto the back of his shirt.

"I don't think so," he said. "Pick up the glass off the floor and you also still have ten minutes until you can go."

Seth groaned and moved out of Edward's hold. "This is bullshit!" he snapped. "Your stupid car is already fixed. You don't fucking need me anymore. Plus, I got a fuckhot date that I need to get to."

Seth had started seeing someone from his school, who was equally as annoying as him. It was good for me, because now he didn't tail after me all the time. In fact, he'd try to avoid me as much as possible now, especially because I liked to give him as much work to do as Edward did.

Payback was a bitch.

Plus, he really did a good job with the toilets, to be honest.

"Better pick up the glass quickly, then," I suggested, smirking.

He huffed and stormed off, muttering expletives along the way. I managed to catch that "Cullen better watch his balls" because he'd castrate him when he could afford to buy a chainsaw.

"Alright, we're heading out," Jasper announced, and stood with Alice.

"Us, too," Emmett said. "You both going to be okay here?"

"Yep," Edward answered, and slung his arm around my shoulder.

As soon as they left, Edward grabbed my face and began attacking my mouth with his lips. "I seem to remember you said we'd talk later," he said in between kisses.

"Hmm?" I questioned dumbly, responding to his kisses enthusiastically.

He placed soft pecks along my jaw towards my ear. "About moving in with me."

I sighed, taken out of my lust-filled spell, and pulled back minutely to look at him. "You really want to move in together?" I asked.

He shrugged. "You're already spending almost every night at my place, so why not? Plus, I sort of like having you around…preferably in my bed." He winked.

I rolled my eyes. "So, I'll just be your bed buddy, basically."

He scoffed, as if I offended him, and then grinned. "Yes."

I shot him a glare.

He laughed. "I'm joking," he affirmed, then softened his expression. "You'd be my girlfriend making your boyfriend the happiest man alive by wanting to take the next step in our relationship."

I pursed my lips. Did he have to go and be all sweet? I had to admit, living with Edward was something I fantasized about occasionally, but it just felt a bit pre-mature. We'd been together for six months now, but it still seemed like we were in the early stages of our relationship, especially considering as we could barely keep our hands off each other. Shouldn't people that were moving in together be able to control themselves? I mean, if we moved in with each other, we wouldn't ever leave the bed, I was sure.

"You don't think it's too soon?" I inquired.

He furrowed his brow. "Do you think it's too soon for Emmett and Rose?"

He did have a point there. They'd gotten together the same time we did and it seemed like they should've moved in together ages ago. "I guess not," I answered, fiddling with the hem of my skirt.

Edward took hold of my hands and rubbed his thumbs over my knuckles. "Do you even want to? I don't want to force you," he said solemnly.

"Of course I do," I reassured. "But what if things don't work out?" I didn't want to sound like I didn't have faith in our relationship, because I did, but I also knew that things happened sometimes and I was definitely afraid that for whatever reason we'd end up being apart.

"But what if they do work out?" he questioned positively. "What if we move in together and then we get engaged, then married, then have kids one day? Obviously I can't predict the future, but I know that I want us to move forward towards all that."

I tried to fight back a smile. "You think about that kind of stuff?"

He chuckled and looked down shyly. "Probably more so than considered cool for a guy."

I squeezed his hands. "What kinds of things do you think about?"

His eyes flashed to mine, a bright intensity swimming behind his green pools. "You really want to know?"

I nodded. I honestly did want to know.

He pulled me towards his chest as he leaned back against the sofa. I rested the side of my head against him. "When we get married one day, I'd like a small ceremony back in Forks with only our closest friends and families there. Then we'll honeymoon in Europe for a month, unless you have somewhere else in mind. After that, we'll spend a couple more years in Seattle until we move outside of the city so we can have children and raise them. If we're lucky, you'll have twins—a boy and a girl, and we can have a puppy, too."

I blinked several times, unsure if I'd heard him right. He thought about all of this? I didn't even think past moving in with him. I was a mixture of stunned and in awe, but I was in no way afraid of what he wanted, because I found that I wanted all of that, too. Very much so.

"Let's move in together," I said suddenly.

"Really?" he questioned excitedly, and I nodded. He hugged me to him tightly and kissed the top of my head. "I love you, Bella Swan."

I smiled and snuggled into his side. "I love you, too," I said in a sigh, looking forward to my future with the only man I'd ever wanted.

* * *

**A/N: **

**Well, that's it. There won't be a sequel to this, unfortunately. However, I will most likely write up some outtakes in the future, which will be posted in Hate Me Outtakes that's on my profile. There's a poll set up on my profile where you can vote for which outtake idea you might want to see. **

**Thanks for reading, and my new story **_**My Perfect Mr. Imperfect **_**is a few chapters along now, so check it out. It won't be as bumpy or messy as this story, but it's still worth a read if you enjoy and trust my writing. **

**Until next time! **

**Twitter: xrxdanixrx**


End file.
